After days of denial, Mayor Eric Adams appeared to confess Friday that he’s entertaining affords for different job alternatives, although he maintained that he continues to marketing campaign robustly for re-election.
The admission got here as questions continued to swirl round whether or not Adams would abandon his reelection bid for a plum job alternative, doubtlessly from Republican President Donald Trump, in a shock September gambit that might flip the mayoral race on its head.
In a press release supplied by his marketing campaign Friday, Adams insisted “I am still running for reelection” and that “no formal offers have been made.”
But he additionally appeared to verify a Thursday night report from the New York Instances that he’s significantly contemplating taking a job with the Trump administration, saying, “I will always listen if called to serve our country.”
That report got here hours after Adams publicly besmirched the Instances’ unique reporting on Wednesday that the Trump administration had approached him a few job alternative that might finish Adams’ mayoral candidacy. The unique report additionally alleged that the Trump staff approached Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa along with his personal job provide, however he has publicly rebuffed such stories.
Adams is ready to journey to Washington D.C. subsequent week to debate his political future with Trump advisers, NY1 reported on Friday afternoon. Adams’ marketing campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro didn’t instantly affirm the assembly.
Trump needs a one-on-one in opposition to Mamdani
President Donald Trump indicated Thursday night that he needs the mayoral normal election to be a two-person race to have the most effective likelihood at stopping Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist Meeting member, from ascending to the mayoralty.REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Picture
Trump indicated Thursday night that he needs the mayoral normal election to be a two-person race to have the most effective likelihood at stopping frontrunner Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist Meeting member, from ascending to the mayoralty.
“I don’t like to see a communist become mayor, I’ll tell you that,” Trump instructed reporters within the White Home, falsely labeling Mamdani a communist — which he has achieved beforehand. “I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one-on-one, and I think that’s a race that can be won.”
If Adams and Sliwa drop out, it could seemingly strengthen former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who, like Adams, is a Democrat working on an impartial line — as they’ve overlapping bases of reasonable, older voters. The sector has already shrunk after one other impartial candidate, Jim Walden, suspended his marketing campaign earlier this week.
Cuomo is making an attempt to capitalize on sentiment amongst centrists, Republicans, and metropolis enterprise leaders who see a democratic socialist like Mamdani changing into mayor as harmful for the town.
Adams’ Friday assertion got here after each the “Paper of Record” and Politico revealed that prime Trump aides are contemplating providing Adams an ambassadorship to Saudi Arabia. Earlier this week, Politico reported that Trump’s staff has already floated a submit on the U.S. Division of Housing and City Improvement (HUD) to the mayor.
The Instances additionally reported on Thursday that Adams met personally with prime Trump adviser Steve Witkoff throughout a visit to Florida earlier this week.
Adams’ assertion got here shortly after he abruptly cancelled his one scheduled public occasion on Friday morning.
Adams searching for a ‘soft landing’?
A supply conversant in Adams’ pondering, granted anonymity to debate the matter freely, instructed New York News that he’s on the lookout for a “soft landing” — that means he needs a comfortable gig with a degree of status befitting an ex-New York Metropolis mayor.
In the meantime, former Gov. David Paterson, one other shut Adams ally and his highest-profile supporter to date, instructed New York News that Adams disclosed he has been getting job affords however didn’t specify the place they have been coming from or whether or not he’s contemplating taking any.
“He was saying he was getting a lot of them,” Paterson stated of Adams. “He was really impressed he was getting offers, and he said, ‘When I figure out what I want to do, I’ll let you know.’”
Paterson added that Adams “really wants to stay in the race,” however that he “recognizes the reality” of his lengthy odds — as he’s polling in final place behind Sliwa in most up-to-date surveys.
Mamdani contends that Cuomo is secretly colluding with Trump to clear the sphere to provide him the most effective likelihood at successful. He’s basing the accusation on stories of Cuomo and Trump discussing the mayor’s race over the telephone final month, in addition to the previous governor telling potential donors that the president will urge Republicans to vote for him over Sliwa.
For his half, Cuomo has denied any current conversations with Trump and claimed on Thursday that he is aware of “nothing about” the president providing Adams a job. However whereas Cuomo stated he doesn’t need Trump to personally enhance his marketing campaign, he stated that no matter Adams and Sliwa do is their enterprise.
“I don’t want him involved in anything with my race,” Cuomo stated on Sept. 4. “What Eric Adams chooses to do is up to Eric Adams. What Curtis Sliwa chooses to do is up to Curtis Sliwa.”
