In a recent interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, New York City Mayor Eric Adams alleged that the Democratic Party “left” him.
“People often say, you know, ‘Well you don’t sound like a Democrat, and you seemed to have left the party.’ No. The party left me, and it left working class people,” said Adams, who is running for reelection as a Democrat against the backdrop of five federal criminal charges.
The roughly 50-minute interview with Carlson, one of Donald Trump’s most ardent allies, is Adams’ latest attempt to appeal to the president, who expressed a willingness to pardon him for his crimes. It also represents a break from Adams’ past attitudes toward Carlson. During his 2021 mayoral run, Adams said he didn’t “want or need the support of Tucker Carlson, or anyone else who perpetuates racist, anti-immigrant propaganda.”
But a criminal case clearly changed his outlook. More recently, Adams’ attempts to curry favor with the president have been downright pathetic, but without the help of his constituents, Adams might need to bring in the big guns.
During his conversation with Carlson, Adams criticized both the Biden administration and Democrats’ immigration policies, which he once claimed threatened to “destroy New York City.” He also said that the indictment against him was politically motivated.
“You complained about allowing hundreds of thousands of illegals and this indictment was punishment for complaining,” Carlson said.
“That is clearly my belief,” Adams confirmed.
Later, Carlson questioned why Republican-led states shouldn’t bus asylum seekers to New York City. For years, red states like Texas have spent millions of dollars busing immigrants to blue cities like New York in what amounts to a cruel political stunt.
“Isn’t it fair to send all their illegals here because you guys welcome them?” Carlson asked, nodding to the fact that New York is a sanctuary city, meaning it aims to shield immigrants from unwarranted enforcement actions, including arrest or deportation.
“No, we’re not welcoming them. Let me be very clear,” he said, adding that former President Joe Biden and his aides once told him to tamp down his criticism regarding the influx of immigrants to help the party during the 2024 presidential election.
“Basically, be a good Democrat, Eric,” Adams said. “That was the basic overall theme.”
“It appeared to me there was a bigger focus on the national election and not on what it was doing to the cities,” Adams later said, nodding to the influx of immigrants in New York City that officials estimate costs $5 billion.
The interview aired on the Tucker Carlson Network Tuesday evening but, as Politico reports, was never promoted on the mayor’s public schedule. A spokesperson for Adams also told the outlet that it was Carlson who requested the interview.
“Mayor Adams does not believe we should be living in silos and speaking into echo chambers,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “At a time where our country is so divided, the mayor believes we must break out of our comfort zones and speak with everyone—even those we may not always agree with.“
Eric Adams at Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025.
While Adams, at times, gently refused some of Carlson’s claims, it was a relatively friendly chit-chat. But the timing of it is interesting, as it comes amid increased speculation that Adams is angling for a presidential pardon ahead of his April trial. Adams, who was first elected in 2021, pleaded not guilty to the federal charges of bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud, and two counts of illegally soliciting a campaign contribution from a foreign national.
Since at least October, Adams has tried to play nice with Trump and other Republicans. That month, after Trump defended Adams and suggested that both of them had been unfairly “persecuted,” Adams avoided criticizing Trump.
Now Adams is done playing coy. Shortly after Trump’s reelection in November, Adams requested a meeting with Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, then later danced around whether he’d consider switching parties. Adams was a registered Republican from 1995 to 2002 before becoming a Democrat.
Indeed, if party switching or, at the very least, cozying up to Republicans who are close to the president, is the way to win favor with Trump and the GOP, Adams’ most recent interview and actions would suggest he’s all in.
On Monday, Adams scrapped his public schedule to make the trek to Washington, D.C., after the Trump administration extended a last-minute invite to his inauguration. Adams, who practically begged Trump for a ticket, made the pilgrimage in the wee hours of the night. He had met with the president in Palm Beach, Florida, merely days prior.
“Inauguration Day is a sacred American tradition. Our country has been through so much, and every president has the honor and responsibility to protect and lead the American people,” Adams wrote on X. “I believe there’s much we can achieve working alongside the federal government as we support our city’s values and fight for New Yorkers.”
Inauguration Day is a sacred American tradition. Our country has been through so much, and every president has the honor and responsibility to protect and lead the American people. On MLK Day, like Reverend Dr. King said, we must put partisan politics aside to do what’s best for…— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) January 20, 2025
Even if the interview with Carlson was just a formality, Trump is reportedly lapping up Adams’ interest in his administration.
According to Rolling Stone, the president’s allies have rightly called Adams “thirsty” for Trump’s attention and even questioned when the “actual begging and love letters start.”
Adams is unlikely to be reelected later this year, so maybe his newfound fealty to the GOP is part of his backup plan once he’s out of office. Or maybe he’s angling for a role in Trump’s Cabinet.
After all, it is a revolving door of senior-level administrators.
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