Brad Lander's Housing Emergency Pitch Sounds Familiar to Trump
In a strange twist of fate, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and President Donald Trump have both proposed declaring a housing emergency in order to take steps to improve affordability.
Comptroller Brad Lander and President Donald Trump may seem like unlikely allies, but they have one surprising thing in common: they have both proposed declaring a housing emergency in order to address the affordability crisis.
While Lander's proposal was made during his failed bid for mayor, Trump's treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, recently hinted at the possibility of the administration using similar measures to address the issue. This raises questions about Lander's tactics and whether they were truly innovative or simply borrowed from the current president.
It's no secret that Lander has a background in community organizing and affordable housing, having previously run the nonprofit Fifth Avenue Committee in Park Slope. However, some may question the effectiveness of his proposed housing emergency, especially since he finished third in the Democratic primary behind Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo.
But it seems that Lander's ideas may have caught the attention of the Trump administration, which has been criticized for its lack of action on housing affordability. While Lander may claim that he has nothing in common with Trump, the similarities between their proposals are undeniable.
As with any political tactic, there are bound to be accusations of soft corruption and influence games. However, it remains to be seen if Lander's proposal, which gained little traction during his campaign, will have any impact on the current administration's approach to the housing crisis https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2025/09/12/lander-pitched-housing-emergency-but-says-trump-should-not/