Lip reader reveals surprising thing Trump told Mamdani at Gracie Mansion: ‘I'll look after you’
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A lip reader hired by the New York Post picked up an unusually warm private exchange between President Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during their 90-minute meeting at Gracie Mansion on Monday.
The 90-minute meeting focused on immigration and a Queens housing project for which Mamdani is seeking federal help, with Trump also sharing memories of Gracie Mansion.
A striking overture given their history
“What I will say is, we’ll look after you, but as I say, you’re doing great,” Trump said, the expert lip reader Jeremy Freeman told The Post.
“I’ll look after you, you look after the New Yorkers,” the president said.
“And we can both make it work. I wanna support you, help me. Come with me to the White House – see how I work.”
Their comments are notable considering the two men spent a very public feud. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, once called Trump "a fascist and a despot" while the president called the mayor a communist.
The hostility has died down substantially since their meeting in February at the White House, when Trump told reporters, "I think he's a nice guy," and Mamdani said the meeting was "a productive meeting."
“We appreciate the president’s commitment to the city,” Mamdani told reporters at a briefing after the meeting.
“And today, you know, the president shared many of his memories of having been to Gracie Mansion before, having been out here, as well, on the lawn. And we appreciated the conversation of how we can work together to deliver a lower cost of living for New Yorkers.”
Housing and immigration on the agenda
It was the first presidential visit to the mayor’s official residence since Ronald Reagan visited Ed Koch in 1981 to tout federal investments in a local roadway project.
“I’m looking forward to building more housing in New York City,” the mayor said after the February Oval Office meeting in a post on X that also included a doctored pic showing Trump holding two copies of the New York Daily News.
One shows the real 1975 headline, “Ford to City: Drop Dead,” and the other a mocked-up version: ‘Trump to City: Let’s Build.”
But following Monday’s Big Apple reunion, Trump again had kind words for Mamdani.
“I’ve seen it with numerous different mayors, and I said some great ones and some not so great ones,” he told Mamdani in front of reporters.
“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 good start.”
Trump's stop at Gracie Mansion came ahead of his scheduled address to the United Nations General Assembly. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the meeting.
