Mamdani Pitches Trump On Housing With Mock Newspaper In Latest White House Visit

WASHINGTON — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani presented President Trump pinch a mock newspaper beforehand page during a sojourn to nan White House connected Thursday to talk monolithic caller lodging investments successful nan city.

It’s a maneuver designed to entreaty to Trump, who is keenly alert of his media sum and, speech from being an avid spectator of cablegram news, is known to voraciously devour sum successful nan section New York City publications. The Republican president and Democratic politician person maintained a cordial narration since their first gathering past fall.

Anna Bahr, Mamdani’s communications director, said nan mayor’s squad created a mock beforehand page and headlines for Trump to look astatine and show what benignant of guidance caller national lodging investments could bring. The mock New York Daily News beforehand page says “Trump to City: Let’s Build” — a riff connected nan celebrated 1975 screen that publication “Ford to City: Drop Dead,” referring to Gerald Ford’s vow to veto financial assistance to nan city.

The politician posted nan photograph of their meeting, featuring nan beforehand pages, to his societal media page.

Mamdani’s agency declined to elaborate connected nan mayor’s lodging proposal, but Bahr said Trump was “very enthusiastic” astir it. When Trump and Mamdani past met successful November, nan president encouraged Mamdani to return to him pinch an thought to build large things together successful New York City, Bahr said.

Though Trump many times maligned Mamdani arsenic a “communist” arsenic he ran for New York City mayor, nan president appeared charmed by him aft their one-on-one gathering astatine nan White House successful November.

At nan gathering connected Thursday – which was antecedently unannounced and lasted for astir an hr – Mamdani besides brought up nan detainment of Ellie Aghayeva, a Columbia University student from Azerbaijan who was arrested earlier Thursday by national migration agents.

The agents had accessed a field residence by claiming they were searching for a “missing person,” according to Aghayeva’s attorneys and Columbia’s president. As he met pinch Trump, Mamdani urged Trump to see releasing her.

In a telephone telephone not agelong aft their White House meeting, Trump told nan politician that Aghayeva would beryllium released. Mamdani besides gave White House main of unit Susie Wiles a database of 4 different students targeted by national authorities and asked for nan administration’s thief pinch them.

The 4 students are Mahmoud Khalil, Yunseo Chung, Mohsen Mahdawi and Leqaa Kordia, who were each detained for their roles successful pro-Palestinian protests. Of nan four, only Kordia remains successful custody, though each cases are proceeding done nan courts.

Kim writes for nan Associated Press.