Advertisement

Koch and Trump shake hands

NEW YORK -- Mayor Ed Koch and millionaire developer Donald Trump, who have been engaged in a public feud for months, shook hands Monday and came out biting.

'I really didn't give it much thought,' Trump said of the handshake.

Advertisement

The mayor apparently felt the same way.

'So I met a presidential contender,' Koch said with a shrug after running into Trump, mentioned as a possible presidential candidate, at a City Hall celebration of Israel's 40th anniversary.

Monday's encounter was the first time in months that Trump and Koch have been seen together in public after a series of name-calling incidents.

The feud erupted after Trump was thwarted by the Koch administration in his efforts to win special tax abatements for his $5 billion Television City complex on Manhattan's west side.

Both men avoided eye contact and appeared uncomfortable as they stood inches away from each other while reporters and photographers watched.

At one point, Koch, who has described Trump as 'piggy,' offered his hand to the developer.

Trump, who has referred to the mayor as 'a moron' and 'a jerk,' then reciprocated.

Latest Headlines