Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Holds Press Availability At Gracie Mansion
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Good afternoon, everyone. This afternoon, President Trump and I met at Gracie Mansion to discuss the city we both are so fortunate to serve, New York City. Each time the president and I speak, it's about the same topics: how to improve the lives of New Yorkers, and how to use the power of government to take on the cost-of-living crisis, to grow our economy, and to build a better, stronger New York. Each day, millions of New Yorkers struggle to get by in a city where a decent life costs too much, where a future of possibility and prosperity feels forever just one paycheck out of reach, where dignity is not accorded to all, but only afforded by some. I have said time and again that I will work with anyone, no matter what party they belong to, no matter how much we may disagree on other topics, whoever has the power and the will to lift that weight off New Yorkers' backs. At a time where hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are asking the questions of how they can afford this city, I appreciate the conversation the president and I have had on the subject of how we can make it easier to afford life in this great city that we call our home. With that, we will take questions. Just before, the president, if you want to add any remarks — President Donald J. Trump: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. I've been at Gracie Mansion, we were discussing, quite a few times over the years — a lot. And it sort of feels like a home, and it's a special place, a very special, beautiful place when you go inside. And I've seen it with numerous different mayors. And I said some great ones and some not-so-great ones, so hopefully you're going to be a great one — I'll be able to say you're going to be a great one, and you're off to a start. So, I just want to thank the mayor for the invitation. I'm in New York to do the United Nations tomorrow. I have a lot of meetings right now. Today, very important meetings with heads of different countries. But this is like a little bit of old home week for me because so many things, we've done so many things from the beautiful home or house or building standing right behind me. And if you have any questions, we'd love to take them. Thank you.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, one of the focuses of the conversation the president and I have been having is about the possibility of building more housing here in New York City. We've spoken about Sunnyside Yard. And it's a real pleasure that, just today, we've agreed to set up a new level of that conversation between our housing and operations team at City Hall and the White House team. Because what we're speaking about is 12,000 homes, 30,000 jobs, the prospect of an entire new neighborhood in a city where housing is the number one cost. And I appreciate the president, his interest in this, and we also know the president not just as the leader of the country but also as someone who has built quite a lot of housing here in our city. I don't know, Mr. President, if you want to add anything.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWe had a wide-ranging conversation. It extended from a conversation around the importance of our Police Department. It went to TPS. It also extended to Sunnyside Yard. And to the first part of your question, I appreciated not only having that conversation with the president, making the case on behalf of New Yorkers. The president also has many memories of Gracie Mansion. He's been here a number of times. I shared with the president also that I recently learned that he actually got married in the Blue Room at City Hall, which is where many of us spend a lot of our time with press conferences and Q&As. And with the president sharing the historic nature of this building, not only as it has been home to mayors since Fiorello La Guardia, but also that it has so much of the history of this country. There's a cannonball from the Revolutionary War; there's a fireplace from the residence where Aaron Burr died after his duel with Alexander Hamilton. So, that is all a part of this building as well.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWe are sincerely interested and committed to this as an idea, which is why it's been the focus of the conversations I've had with the president, not only in this meeting, but also in the prior meeting at the White House. And again, what we're talking about is something very rare in our city. It's the possibility of constructing an entirely new neighborhood. And again, it's only possible with federal partnership because of not only the scale of funding required, but also the authorization in constructing a platform that would then serve as the foundation for about 12,000 homes, about 30,000 jobs, and it would be transformative, not only in terms of working people who could create this, but also, and be paid enough to be able to afford to live in the city, but also working people who could actually live in a neighborhood that today is, is a train yard. [Crosstalk.]
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceSo, the conversations have been continuing about this project. What today we made an agreement on was that the conversation would now be elevated to a place where it's going to also be technical between our housing teams, our operations teams and the White House. And that is critically important because, as you heard earlier from the question from Crain's, yes, there's an aspect of this that is about financing. There's also an aspect of this about technical and legal authorization of the construction of a platform. That's what this kind of a conversation facilitates.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, the president and I have both been very frank about the many disagreements that we have. And immigration is one of those places. We've both spoken about very different approaches, very different beliefs. And I will continue to have conversations with the president and, frankly, with anyone who can deliver relief to the people of this city. And to me, you know, in the past meeting, at the meeting we spoke about Sunnyside Yard, we introduced that conversation. Thirty minutes after the last meeting, he called me to let me know that the list of students that we had put forward to him, that he was going to release one of them. Soon after that, he released another one of them. And frankly, if a meeting can be the difference between detention and dignity, it's a meeting worth taking. All while being honest about the disagreements that we do have. Thank you all very much. ###
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Holds Press Availability At Gracie Mansion.