Trump Meets Mamdani at Gracie Mansion to Talk Housing as UN General Assembly Opens in New York
President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met to discuss housing, while Trump also held his first meeting with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and warned Iran of "obliteration."
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump met at Gracie Mansion to discuss building housing in the city, as world leaders gathered in New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly [247547][247528]. The meeting between the two leaders, who have sharply different political views, focused on a shared goal: expanding housing in the nation's largest city [247547].
The sit-down came as Trump held a series of high-profile meetings on the sidelines of the UN gathering. In his first face-to-face meeting with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham at the United Nations, Trump praised the British leader as a "natural businessperson" and said he would make a "great prime minister" [247486][247401]. Trump added that he works better with Burnham than with former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying the UK was "more up" under its new leader [247401]. The two leaders discussed topics ranging from Rolls-Royce to energy to immigration, though the countries still disagree on issues including artificial intelligence rules, the Chagos Islands, and the war in Iran [247486][247401].
Trump also issued a stark warning to Iran, saying the country faces a choice between "potential greatness or obliteration" [247531]. His comment came after his team met with the Iranian delegation in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly [247531].
Separately, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attended a meeting convened by Trump with several leaders of Arab and Muslim countries, also on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly [247528].
The annual UN gathering has drawn leaders from around the world to New York. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Burnham on Tuesday to discuss regional and international developments [247525]. Erdogan also held talks with Kosovo's prime minister, pledging Türkiye's support for Kosovo's place in the international community, and with Georgia's prime minister at the Turkish House in New York to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues [246787][246781].
In a related development, the UK government confirmed that Manchester will host the Group of 20 (G20) summit in 2027. Burnham, who previously served as mayor of Manchester for nearly a decade, will announce the decision during his first trip to the UN General Assembly [247152]. The G20 is a forum of the world's largest economies [247152].