President Donald Trump met Thursday at the White House with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in an unannounced session that centered on housing policy and, later, the detention of a Columbia University student by federal immigration authorities.

Mamdani disclosed the meeting in a social media post, writing, “I had a productive meeting with President Trump this afternoon,” and sharing a photograph of himself beside the president in the Oval Office.

In the image, Trump is seen holding a mock-up of a Daily News front page bearing the headline: “Trump to City: Let’s Rebuild.” Mamdani added in his post, “I’m looking forward to building more housing in New York City.”

Hours after the sit-down, Mamdani said he and Trump also spoke by phone about a Columbia University student who had been taken into custody earlier in the day. According to university officials, federal immigration agents allegedly misrepresented themselves in order to gain access to a campus residential building before detaining the student, identified as Elaina Aghayeva.

Mamdani wrote, “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.” Aghayeva later confirmed on social media that she had been freed.

The Oval Office meeting followed Trump’s remarks earlier in the week during his State of the Union address, when he referenced Mamdani as a “nice guy” with “bad policies” and said the two speak “a lot”. The mayor responded the next day at a press conference, saying that when they communicate, their discussions center on ensuring the city continues to move forward.

Neither the White House nor City Hall publicly previewed Thursday’s meeting. Earlier in the day, CNN reported that the president and mayor were expected to meet, citing two individuals familiar with the arrangements. Housing was anticipated to be a central issue, as it had been during their prior White House meeting in November.

At that earlier session, Trump commended Mamdani and suggested that despite having branded him a “communist” during the mayoral race, they shared areas of agreement. Their conversation reportedly covered real estate development, adjustments to zoning regulations, and strategies aimed at lowering electricity costs, among other matters.

Following that encounter, Axios reported that the two leaders had begun communicating by text message — a surprising development given their previous sharp public exchanges.

During the mayoral campaign, Trump cautioned voters that choosing Mamdani would “ruin the city, while Mamdani had called Trump a fascist. Once face to face, however, their interactions took on a markedly different tone.