New York, New York - New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday asked President Donald Trump to release $21 billion in federal grants to build 12,000 affordable housing units and infrastructure.

Mamdani posted an image of himself at the White House presenting Trump with a mock newspaper front-page that read: "Trump to city: Let's build".

The meeting had not been announced in advance.

The amount includes funding for affordable housing units and infrastructure in a Queens neighborhood, including parks, schools and health centers, according to a statement from Mamdani's office.

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"The proposal represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to confront the city's housing crisis at the scale it demands," the statement said.

"If realized, the project would mark the largest housing and infrastructure investment in New York City in more than 50 years."

The Republican, himself a New Yorker, repeatedly disparaged Mamdani before the mayoral election, but the two have since struck a surprisingly warm relationship.

"I had a productive meeting with President Trump this afternoon," Mamdani wrote in a post on X after Thursday's talks.

"I'm looking forward to building more housing in New York City."

They agreed to continue talks over the project and its funding "in the weeks ahead."

Following the meeting, Mamdani said Trump had also agreed to the release of a Columbia University student detained in a shocking ICE operation earlier in the day.