Trump, Mamdani Renew Upbeat Chats

The political odd couple of President Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is still a thing. The pair met face-to-face for the third time on Monday, sounded upbeat about each other in public, and agreed to intensify talks on a long-discussed plan to build 12,000 below-market apartments over Queens' Sunnyside Yard, Axios reports. "They've been talking about developing that for 50 years. So maybe they have a shot at doing it," Trump said ahead of his arrival at the UN General Assembly. The two chatted at the mayor's residence for more than an hour, per the New York Times.

The harmony had limits. At a joint briefing, Mamdani called for full press access to the White House just as Trump defended his move to block outlets including CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. Mamdani said he pressed his "very strong opinions" on protecting New Yorkers, including immigrants, per Axios. Trump said he wants Mamdani "to be a great mayor" and praised his potential. They have differed in the past over immigration rules—New York led a lawsuit against Trump's "public charge" regulation—and over Mamdani's tax on high-end properties owned by nonresidents.