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New York City Mayor Eric Adams was set to meet with Donald Trump in Florida, with many claiming he’s after a federal pardon.
A spokesperson for embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed that he would be meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday evening (January 16). “Mayor Adams has made quite clear his willingness to work with President-elect Trump and his incoming administration on behalf of New Yorkers — and that partnership with the federal government is critical to New York City’s success,” City Hall spokesman Fabian Levy said in an email. “The mayor looks forward to having a productive conversation with the incoming president on how we can move our city and country forward.”
The Democratic mayor’s meeting with Trump wasn’t on his public schedule for Friday (January 17) until early morning. The meeting is set for 1 P.M., where Adams said that the two will discuss “New Yorkers’ priorities”. The city will be funding the trip according to City Hall. Adams is the latest Democratic politician to meet with the president-elect; Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman recently visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
Adams’ visit comes months before he is to stand trial after being indicted on federal charges of wire fraud, bribery, and accepting illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals. Adams was accused of pressuring the New York City Fire Department to approve a new high-rise building for the Turkish Consulate despite prominent safety issues with the construction. He also allegedly accepted over $100,000 in luxury travel, including hotel accommodations from Turkey and other nations. Trump has been publicly sympathetic to Adams, even hinting that he could pardon him after beginning his second term in the White House. Adams has also stated that he was interested in attending the inauguration next Monday in Washington, D.C.
The visit has drawn numerous critics, who see it as another brazen ploy to obtain a federal pardon. “Eric Adams should state immediately that he will not seek or accept a pardon from Donald Trump,” Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller, said to the New York Times. “New Yorkers deserve to know that their mayor is putting their interests ahead of his own.” Others such as Rolling Stone contributor Noah Shachtman took a more sarcastic tone. “It’s such a relief to know that the mayor is spending every waking moment looking out for the people of New York,” he wrote in a post on BlueSky.
