New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Friday he is staying in the race for another term amid reports he might be offered a job in the Trump administration.
Speculation reached its peak Friday throughout the day that Adams would end his campaign after The New York Times reported President Trump’s advisers have been floating a plan to offer him and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa positions in the administration to get them out of the race. The idea would reportedly be to clear the way for Andrew Cuomo to oppose Zohran Mamdani in a one-on-one match-up.
While Sliwa has ruled out taking any position in the administration, Adams left the door open earlier on Friday to consider other jobs, though he said he hadn’t received any formal offer.
But Adams reaffirmed that he’s staying in the race and will continue with his effort to win a second term. He maintained that he’s the only candidate who can defeat Mamdani, calling Cuomo a “snake” and “liar.”
Adams said he committed himself to a city that he loves and touted declining crime rates compared to when he first took office.
“And I’m going to continue to do that,” he said.
Adams took shots at Mamdani and Cuomo, saying he’s running against two “spoiled brats” for mayor.
He denied reports that he would be visiting Washington, D.C. next week for a meeting with the White House to discuss a position in the administration.
“I’m running for reelection, and I’m going to tell New Yorkers every day why I believe I should be the mayor of the city of New York in 2026,” he said.
Presuming Adams does stay in the race, his decision is a blow to efforts to try to consolidate opposition to Mamdani, the Democratic nominee who identifies as a democratic socialist, behind a single candidate. Cuomo, the former New York governor who has come in second in polling, has suggested candidates should consider this strategy to increase the chances of defeating Mamdani.
With a multi-candidate field, critics of Mamdani have expressed concern that he would be able to easily win. Mamdani has led comfortably in polls but with less than majority support.
Adams also brushed aside the polls that show him in third place at best, well behind Mamdani. He pointed to Mamdani’s own upset win in the Democratic primary that most polling did not predict as evidence for skepticism of the polls’ accuracy.
He said he has repeatedly been told to step aside but wouldn’t, just as New Yorkers wouldn’t from their challenges. He said he would respect the will of the voters.
He left the press conference without taking questions.
This story was updated at 5:42 p.m.
