Mayor Eric Adams did not rule out a return to the Republican Party on Friday, deflecting questions about this possibility by asserting that he was “part of the American party.”
Adams was a registered Republican from April 1995 until November 2002, when he registered with the Democratic Party, according to the city’s board of elections.
What you need to know
- During an interview with “Mornings On 1” on Friday, Mayor Eric Adams did not rule out a return to the Republican Party.
- Adams was a registered Republican from April 1995 until November 2002, when he registered with the Democratic Party, according to the city’s election board.
- The mayor has avoided criticizing Trump and the president-elect’s mass deportation agenda, unlike most of his Democratic colleagues.
Request during an interview “Mornings On 1” If he was considering joining the Republican Party, the mayor avoided the question.
“The party that is most important to me is the American party. I am part of the American party. I love this country. It is the home of the free, the land of the brave,” he said. “My 19-year-old (uncle) died in the fields of Vietnam protecting what this city and this country stands for. And that’s the party I will always be a member of.”
In a subsequent interview with PIX11, Adams admitted that he would campaign for re-election as a Democrat, but still did not rule out a possible party switch.
“We need to stop identifying and classifying ourselves as anything other than Americans. I’m an American and I’m going to continue to say that,” he said. “So whatever party I’m in or voting for, I’m going to push for American values.”
“I’ve been a Democrat for many years and I’m going to run for re-election as a Democrat. But my focus is the American people and the people of New York,” he added. “And those who don’t like it, they will cancel me. And I say, cancel me. I’m for America.”
If Adams loses next June’s primary, he could try to run on the Republican line or even a third-party line — an effective tactic used by Mayors John Lindsay and Vincent Impellitteri, who lost their party’s primary but when even been re-elected.
The mayor’s comments come as he prepares to sit with the incoming border Czar Tom Homan will discuss President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to deport undocumented immigrants next week. Adams has avoided criticizing Trump and the president-elect’s mass deportation agenda, unlike most of his Democratic colleagues.
“I said before the election that we needed to do something about these migrants, the small number of them who are committing crimes in our city,” Adams said. “It was not about the election of the new president, with whom I refuse to go to war. I’m going to work with it to bring resources back to this city and those who want to run it the way they want to, at the end of the day, people will see that it’s a city that I loved.
At the same time, the mayor faces a federal indictment on corruption charges, and it’s unclear whether Trump could pardon him.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries commented on Adams’ comments during an unrelated news conference Friday.
“As for Mayor Adams, I will support whichever Democratic candidate emerges in the June primary for New York City’s next mayor, and work as hard as possible in partnership with the congressional delegation to make sure the next mayor of New York City is a Democrat,” Jeffries said.
Adams’ many primary opponents wasted no time, with some criticizing his apparent attempts to cozy up to Trump.
“He is fighting to obtain his pardon. He’s looking through the lens of what’s best for Eric Adams and it’s a sight that’s getting very tiring,” said former City Comptroller Scott Stringer.
“Eric Adams spends his time fighting UFC rather than helping the New York crowd. It’s abundantly clear that he doesn’t care about New York City. He just wants to avoid prison,” said former state Rep. Michael Blake.
“He changes parties to survive politically. I think this is a terrible reason for anyone to change political parties. I’m independent because I’m an independent thinker,” said attorney Jim Walden.
“This is not the time for the mayor of the most important city in the country to play football with the president. We must be prepared to defend the values of New York City, no matter who is president,” said Senator Zellnor Myrie.
“What New Yorkers want to see is an alternative to the Trump movement, to the Trump administration. They don’t want to see a collaborator,” said state MP Zohran Mamdani.
“If Eric Adams wants to become a Republican again, I think he should just do so and allow the Democratic primaries to continue so that New Yorkers can choose who will be the next leader of New York City,” the senator said. of State Jessica Ramos. said.