New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) left the door open when asked about rejoining the Republican Party during an interview with NY1, as federal corruption charges against him gain traction.
“The party that’s most important for me is the American party — I’m a part of the American party,” Adams said when questioned about potentially flipping to become a Republican. “I love this country.”
Politico revealed that Adams shared a similar sentiment in a separate interview with Pix11 News, stating that regardless of his political registration, he would champion “American values.”
He explained, “No matter what party I’m on or vote on, I’m going to push for American values.”
Interestingly, Adams was once a registered Republican back in the 1990s while serving as a police officer.
And lately, his public commentary has included praise for prominent figures within former President Trump’s circle.
During a press event on immigration this Tuesday, Adams called for a discussion with Tom Homan, Trump’s incoming “border czar.”
He made his concerns known about criminal behavior among undocumented migrants that have flooded into New York City under the Biden administration.
“Those who are here committing crimes—robberies, shooting at police officers, raping innocent people—have been a harm to our country,” he noted. “I want to sit down and hear the plan on how we’re going to address them.”
“Those are the people I am talking about, and I would love to sit down with the Border Czar and hear his thoughts on how we’re going to address those who are harming our citizens.”
According to the New York Times, the pair are likely to meet next week.
Adams didn’t stop there. He also had favorable words for people linked to Trump’s network.
Describing America’s potential, Adams stated, “This is a racehorse that wanted to run its right pace and we’ve been holding back that racehorse out of fear of being canceled. And now, you have a bunch of people who are not afraid of being canceled.”
Simultaneously, Adams zeroed in on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, sharply criticizing their administration during the same press conference.
“The long-term impact of what we did to this city, you’re going to see it materialize in administrations in the future. They hurt the future of New York City,” he remarked while referencing cuts to municipal funding.
Accusing the administration of neglect, particularly regarding elderly care and youth crime prevention, he vented, “We didn’t invest in seniors the way we should have and young people … the crimes that we witnessed. This impacted our city, and people don’t understand why you are fighting so hard on this.”
He claimed the federal government forced the city to withdraw massive funds, stating, “The federal government made me take $6.4 billion out … we all should be angry about what happened to this city under this administration.”
Meanwhile, Adams continues to manage the fallout from federal corruption allegations while running the city and preparing for re-election.
The charges accuse him of accepting extravagant trips abroad and illegal contributions to his campaign from individuals, including those linked to Turkey or its government. Pleading not guilty, Adams has maintained his innocence.
Critics, however, are suggesting Adams’ recent statements about Trump-era policies might be more about self-preservation than genuine alignment. They believe he’s trying to cozy up to the incoming president in hopes of potentially securing a pardon for his legal troubles.
“Eric Adams continues to sound more like he is auditioning for a job in right-wing media than running for reelection in a Democratic primary,” remarked State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, who is among those challenging Adams in the next Democratic race for mayor.
“Eric Adams is in City Hall because Democratic voters sent him there. To serve his own narrow self-interests, he is clearly prepared to betray them.”
