After months of sparring, Zohran Mamdani meets Donald Trump: What happened inside the Oval Office

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani made an unscheduled visit to the White House on Thursday, sitting down with President Donald Trump in a meeting that took many by surprise. The two leaders, who have traded sharp criticism in recent months, spoke behind closed doors without media presence.

The private interaction comes against the backdrop of deep political differences between the Democratic socialist mayor and the Republican president. Yet, despite their public sparring, the two have now met more than once in the Oval Office, a sign that practical considerations may be shaping their exchanges.

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The meeting did not appear on the President’s public calendar. No cameras were allowed inside. Later in the day, Mamdani called it “a productive meeting” and said he hoped it would help accelerate housing construction in New York City.

A photograph shared by the mayor showed Trump at the Resolute Desk holding two mock front pages of the New York Daily News. One was a genuine 1975 edition with the headline “Ford to City: Drop Dead.” The other was a recreated page declaring “Trump to City: Let’s Build,” suggesting presidential support for what it described as a “New Era of Housing.”

The mock front page also claimed: “Trump Delivers 12,000+ Homes; Most Since 1973.”

City Hall spokeswoman Anna Bahr said the mayor had put forward “a couple of pitches” that could lead to more housing projects than the city has seen in half a century. She did not share specifics about where the projects would be located, how large they would be, or how they would be financed.

Immigration issue surfaces during talks

The visit also touched on immigration.

After returning from the White House, Mamdani posted on X that he had raised concerns about Columbia University student Elaina Aghayeva, who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier that morning. “In our meeting earlier, I shared my concerns about Columbia student Elaina Aghayeva, who was detained by ICE this morning. He has just informed me that she will be released imminently,” Mamdani wrote.

Aghayeva was subsequently released.

Federal agents had entered a residential building on Columbia University’s Manhattan campus early Thursday and detained her.

Columbia University said officials had been misled by immigration agents to gain access. Acting President Claire Shipman stated that the agents claimed they were searching for a “missing person.” She added: “If law enforcement agents seek entry to non-public areas of the University, ask the agents to wait to enter any non-public areas until contacting Public Safety. Public Safety will contact the Office of the General Counsel to coordinate the University’s response. Do not allow them to enter or accept service of a warrant or subpoena.”

In comments to the Columbia Daily Spectator, the Department of Homeland Security said Aghayeva’s visa had been cancelled in 2016 for not attending classes. It said the building manager and her roommate permitted officers to enter the apartment, and that she had no active appeals or pending applications with the department.

The White House did not issue an immediate statement about the mayor’s visit.

New York City relies significantly on federal funds, and disputes over immigration enforcement have often placed it at the centre of national debate. Columbia University has also figured prominently in discussions around campus access and federal authority in recent years.