NEW YORK (WABC) — The candidates running for New York City mayor are speaking out after the New York Times reported that advisors to President Trump have discussed giving Mayor Eric Adams a position in their administration as a way to clear the field for Andrew Cuomo to challenge Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race.
The same report said the talks have also involved finding a place for Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
In the scenario reported by the Times, supporters for Adams and Sliwa would then theoretically back Cuomo, who currently trails Mamdani in most polls by 20 points.
On Wednesday, Adams brushed off the report while Mamdani called it “an affront to our democracy”
Adams downplayed the report but did not specifically deny it, saying corporations and boards are always looking to hire him, “I’m the CEO of 320,000 employees.”
He called any Trump administration rumors “hypothetical.”
“I’m running for office and I’m going to finish doing that, I got work to do, I got more ribbons to cut before I finish up this term,” he said.
Adams would not discuss any private conversations he may or may not have had with the Trump administration, citing his longstanding rule on not talking about private conversations, which he has previously broken.
However, Adams’ office released the following statement:
“Under Mayor Adams’ leadership, New York City has made a historic comeback from the COVID-19 pandemic – with our economy booming back, jobs surging, and crime plummeting. Mayor Adams is a lifelong New Yorker who has dedicated his entire career to this city, and he intends to continue that work for another four years as mayor.”
Sliwa has previously denied he was considering similar rumors and said he has not been contacted by the White House nor is he interested in a job with the White House.
“My focus is right here in New York City, as it has always been. I’m the only candidate on a major party line who can defeat Mamdani, and I’m committed to carrying this fight through to Election Day,” Sliwa said. “The people of New York City deserve a Mayor who will finally make the city work for the hard working people who power it. This is a distraction from the issues forcing New Yorkers to flee everyday. Absolute misinformation.”
Andrew Cuomo again denied to the Times that he is speaking to Trump about the race and said it makes more sense for the president to want a Mayor Mamdani.
“It would be a political gift to the Republican Party, which would then use him to characterize the Democrats across the country going into the midterms,” Cuomo told the Times.
During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Mamdani accused the president of trying to manipulate the result of the election.
“I’m angry because so often we think of this solely in terms of the dynamics of politics, but the reason that so many New Yorkers are fed up with politics as they know it is because of news like this,” Mamdani said. “Backroom deals, corrupt agreements, all of which serve to increase the sense of disaffection and despair as it pertains to how people feel about politics across this country.”
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