US President Donald Trump’s trip to New York for a speech at the United Nations started Monday with a detour to Gracie Mansion for an hourlong chat — and a trip down memory lane — with Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Axar.az reports, citing The Assosciated Press, the president, appearing with Mamdani after their meeting, reminisced about his previous visits to the official residence of the city’s mayors and recalled “great ones and some not so great ones” who have led the city in the past.

“Hopefully you’re going to be a great one,” he said, giving Mamdani a pat on the back. “And you’re off to a start.”

The meeting was the latest cordial encounter between the Republican president and a democratic socialist mayor, who have struck up a surprisingly warm relationship despite their lack of political overlap, and have tried to find common ground in helping the city they both love.

With scores of world leaders arriving in the city for the United Nations General Assembly, there Trump stood beside Mamdani on the lawn of the custard-yellow mayoral mansion in Manhattan.

“I have a lot of meetings right now, very important meetings with heads of different countries, but this is like a little bit of old home week for me,” Trump said, adding “We’ve done so many things from the beautiful home or house or building standing right behind me.”

Trump and Mamdani told reporters they discussed a potential housing project in the borough of Queens and how to make New York more affordable for the working class.

Mamdani was asked about Trump’s decision to bar certain news outlets from the White House, with the mayor saying it was important that those networks, and others, be present for the Gracie Mansion event. Trump then defended his restrictions on the news organizations whose coverage he called biased.

“It’s interesting because they said they were gonna boycott me. But they never boycott me,” the president said, before adding, “I think that these outlets have an obligation to be fair.”

After Trump left, Mamdani returned to the lawn to answer a few more questions, telling reporters that he and the president have sharp disagreements but that the relationship has endured nevertheless.

“I will continue to have conversations with the president, and frankly, anyone who can deliver relief to the people of this city,” Mamdani said.