Mayor Adams said Tuesday that Democrats have themselves to blame for President-elect Donald Trump’s growing margins of support in New York City, contending that their embrace of a “far-left agenda” is backfiring on them.
Adams, a conservative Democrat who often clashes with members of his own party, offered the analysis after being asked in his weekly briefing whether he was surprised by how much support Trump received in the traditionally deep-blue city in the Nov. 5 election.
“It doesn’t surprise me. This far-left agenda that I’ve been talking about for a long time, where we’re not focusing on working-class people … some of the things that you talk about, it’s not what working-class people are talking about,” Adams replied, referring to reporters. “‘How do I get the MetroCard? How do I make sure that I can put food on the table?’ These are real issues, and so when you’re not talking about those real issues, then it doesn’t surprise me that people are saying, ‘Listen, you’re not speaking on my behalf anymore.’ ”
Adams, who used to be a registered Republican, didn’t elaborate on what specific issues he deems part of a far-left blueprint. His spokesmen didn’t immediately return requests for comment after his briefing.
Adams has said he supported Vice President Kamala Harris in the election Trump handily won. She centered her campaign around a number of economic issues, including providing first-time homebuyers with $25,000 down payment assistance.
Harris won New York City in this month’s election by a 68%-to-30% margin over Trump. That’s a much thinner margin than when President Biden beat Trump by 53 percentage points in the 2020 election, and Trump’s boost this year can be attributed to growing support for him in the Bronx and Queens.
City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a progressive Democrat, argued Adams’ recent rhetoric on various issues helped Trump locally.
“[Adams] correctly identifies problems that are top issues for our constituents, but rather than elevate the solutions available, he joined his fellow conservatives in fearmongering and scapegoating,” Williams said. “Whether in hopes of special treatment or in genuine belief of the ultraconservative Trump talking points he parrots, this mayor seems willing to either stand alongside Trump, or to look the other way in the face of an agenda that harms the same people that the mayor claims to represent.”
Adams is under federal indictment on corruption charges.
Williams and other local Democrats have recently questioned whether Adams is avoiding criticizing Trump in hopes the incoming Republican president could help quash the criminal case against him. Adams has declined to say whether he has spoken with Trump about his case.