It put Mayor Adams on a political leash

When Mayor Eric Adams descended on Palm Beach Thursday night to meet with President-elect Donald J. Trump, he said he just wanted to advance the best interests of New York City.

But the context cannot be ignored: Mr. Adams, facing a federal corruption trial in April and possible prison terms, is about to visit the one person in the United States who could forgive him and point out his potential benefits. in doing so.

The taxpayer-funded trip to Florida came with significant political excitement. For Mr. Trump, a Republican, the meeting could give him an advantage in New York City, a place that has traditionally opposed him and his party. For the mayor, a Democrat, the visit brought more danger.

Mr. Adams’ poll numbers are in the tank. He faces a credible primary challenger. And his replacement with Mr. Trump could derail any hopes the mayor has of winning a second term at City Hall this year.

“Obviously, politics doesn’t help,” said Howard Wolfson, a political strategist for former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “However, it is not politics that drives the journey. Politics is, of course, part of the desire to stay in prison. “

In fact, Mr. Adams was blocked by an obvious conflict that voters could not easily resolve.

In September, Mr. Adams was indicted on five federal counts of corruption, including bribery, wire fraud and solicitation of contributions from foreign nationals. He has pleaded not guilty and has consistently argued, without evidence, that he was the victim of a conspiracy by the Biden administration to punish him for criticizing the president’s immigration policy.

In recent weeks, a federal grand jury has heard additional evidence against him, which could indicate new charges are on the way.

He is scheduled to go on trial in April, a few weeks before the Democratic mayoral primary. If the jury finds Mr. Adams, he is in prison. In 2021, the City Council passed a law barring anyone convicted of public corruption from holding office. Before the court of law.

This fall, Mr. Trump, who was convicted of 34 felonies in May, announced that he felt a connection with Mr. Adams: “We were persecuted, Eric,” Mr. Trump said on the Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner.

Starting Monday, after being sworn in, Mr. Trump will have the power to pardon the mayor. Mr. Adams said he may even attend the inauguration ceremony in Washington, although his team has not confirmed plans to go.

New York City and its 8.3 million residents also have a lot to offer. The federal government sends billions of dollars to New York City every year for education, housing, child care and hospitals. More than 400,000 undocumented immigrants call the city home. As the mayor of America’s largest city, Mr. Adams has a natural interest in developing a working relationship with the man poised to lead the country.

In a statement Friday evening, Mr. Adams said he and the president-elect discussed issues important to New Yorkers, including construction jobs in the Bronx and the severance agreement. war between Israel and Hamas.

“To be clear, we did not discuss my legal case, and those who represent the greatest mayor in the country should not meet with the incoming president to discuss his priorities. our city due to inaccurate estimates or disagreements. the party cares more about politics than people,” said Mr. Adams.

The political problem for the mayor is that voters can’t tell if he’s in Palm Beach to represent the city or for himself, said Basil Smikle, a professor at the School of in Professional Studies at Columbia University and is a Democratic political strategist.

No city official was with Mr. Adams. Voters, Mr. Smikle continued, may reasonably ask, “What did Donald Trump promise to get a pardon? Did he sell the city politically or politically?”

There was little political risk for Mr Trump in the meeting. After an election in which he made the biggest gains among Black and Latino voters, his allies could help shore up the president-elect’s support in communities that remain unpopular. famous black people like mr. Adams.

But there may be some danger in granting Mr. Adams a pardon. The mayor’s political fortunes appear to be in jeopardy regardless if Mr. Trump runs, and his popularity in New York may not be strong enough for Mr. Trump to benefit from helping him.

Some of Mr. Trump’s Republican supporters are upset by the nature of the corruption charges against Mr. Adams, and as he prepares to grant amnesty to countless of his supporters who took part in the riots in the President-elect at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. , one gift to Mr. Adams might be a bridge too far.

A spokesman for Mr. Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But advisers to the president-elect have previously said they see Mr. Adams’ situation as corroborating Mr. Trump’s own account that he was a victim of the so-called deep state.

Mr. Trump also kept his focus on his hometown. And he didn’t always make the usual political choices.

Some New York voters don’t seem to be taking kindly to his trip to visit Mr. Trump in Florida that was added to the mayor’s agenda only after The New York Times reported that it was happening. The mayor’s opponents were quick to call it a bold move that could damage Adams’ political brand.

When he was elected, Mr. Adams often spoke of his own “swagger,” a quality he said would help get New York out of the throes of the pandemic. With a taste for nightlife, he wanted to send a message that his city was back because he was in charge.

A short flight to Florida can ruin it.

“No New Yorker wants to see the mayor kiss the ring,” Mr. Smikle said. “We’re not like that. We are the greatest city in the world. People come to us. We are not going to them. If you’re going down to Mar a Lago to kiss the ring, what happened to that arrogance you said?”

Despite his low poll numbers, Mr. Adams still has support among his base of black voters, some of whom question whether federal prosecutors should – he is fair. A New York Times/Siena College poll in late October found that while only 26 percent of New York voters approved of the mayor’s job performance, it rose to It was 41 percent among black voters.

An adviser to the mayor argued that the pardon would not necessarily prove the political death of Mr. Adams, if it happened so quickly, and it could take several months before the recall of the Mr. Adams is a first-time voter.

Although Mr. Adams will lose voters because of his distaste for Mr. Trump, the adviser said, he stands to gain votes from the Latino, Asian and Orthodox Jewish communities, which have little support for Mr. Trump.

If Mr. Adams puts New York’s Democratic mayorship in jeopardy, he has other options.

During the 1990s, Mr. Adams was a registered Republican. He could run again as a Republican. But there’s no guarantee he’ll win in a city where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans six to one. Some New York Republicans have thrown cold water on the idea of ​​welcoming Mr. Adams into their fold, and he has confirmed that he will run for re-election as a Democrat.

However, like most things in modern Republican politics, Mr. Trump has been able to single-handedly challenge these positions.

Mr. Adams could also ditch the mayor altogether and plan for himself as a MAGA Black Republican.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a prominent ally of the mayor who has stood by him despite his impeachment and resignation, warned Adams recently in an interview told Politico, that a pardon could damage his political career. .

Before Mr. Adams met with Mr. Trump, he had a conversation with Mr. Sharpton, the reverend said. Mr. Sharpton said he warned the mayor that Mr. Trump would try to manipulate him for his own purposes.

“I told him I was concerned that he might be using you in a bad way to cover some of his biased policies,” Mr. Sharpton said.

“Basically, he could explain a lot of things,” said Mr. Sharpton continued, pointing at Adams. “What he can’t control is what Trump will do. And if he is known for it, how can he be separated from it?”

Nicholas Fandos contributed reporting.