Donald Trump visited New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani at Gracie Mansion on Monday, 21 September. The mayor wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested under an International Criminal Court warrant. Trump has no meeting with Netanyahu scheduled, US officials say. Netanyahu flew out on Thursday for a 19:00 BST UN speech and, Israeli media say, leaves that night.
Mamdani said the two men talked about Netanyahu at the mansion, the mayor's home. On Tuesday, Netanyahu vowed to tell the truth about Mamdani in his UN speech. Lazar Berman of The Times of Israel wrote that a meeting with Trump could have helped Netanyahu ahead of Israel's 27 October election.
Trump and Mamdani Discuss Housing and Immigration
The talks covered Sunnyside Yard, a plan to build about 12,000 homes over rail yards in Queens, both men said. The mayor also raised the fate of Haitian families. They could lose Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a federal scheme that lets people from countries in crisis live and work in America. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, later said he would work with anyone who could help his city, whatever their party.
Trump praised his host on camera, hoping Mamdani would do a great job. Morton Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America, told the Jewish news agency JNS that the warm tone was a 'serious and dangerous mistake.' Monday's meeting was their third in under a year, after Oval Office talks in November 2025 and a Washington visit in February. Ronald Reagan was the last sitting president to visit, in 1981, when Ed Koch ran the city.
Netanyahu and Mamdani Trade Accusations
In a CNN interview on Monday night, Mamdani called Netanyahu a war criminal and accused him of responsibility for genocide against Palestinians. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity, which Netanyahu denies. Mamdani wants the warrant honoured but has admitted having no power to enforce it. America has never joined the court. Netanyahu answered in the video below.
ממדאני - אני בא לאו״ם כדי להילחם על האמת של החיילים הגיבורים שלנו - וכדי לחשוף את האמת עליך! pic.twitter.com/141PPbSFHm
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 22, 2026
In the video, Netanyahu accused Mamdani of backing Hamas and inciting riots against Jewish New Yorkers. 'Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani,' said Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, in the post. Mamdani has condemned Hamas' 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, and on Tuesday he told reporters that 'what the prime minister has said in that video is not true.' Israel denies genocide and says its forces try to limit civilian deaths in Gaza.
Protests, Walkouts, and a Tight Schedule
Hundreds of people joined a rally against antisemitism led by Jewish groups outside UN headquarters on Wednesday. On Thursday, an anti-Zionist coalition plans to gather in Bryant Park at 4pm. When Netanyahu addressed world leaders at the General Assembly on 26 September 2025, dozens of delegates walked out, while US diplomats stayed in their seats.
Last week, US officials called a meeting unlikely because of both men's schedules. The two leaders last met in July, and Trump hosted Netanyahu at the White House on 29 September 2025, three days after that speech. Israeli reports disagree on whether Netanyahu will see US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instead.
