“Pardon Me!”, Eric Adams Cried…and Trump Did.

NYC Mayor Dodged Jail But He's Finished Politically

February 12, 2025

Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, has gotten the stay-out- of-jail card that he so desperately sought.

Adams, who has presided over a remarkably corrupt administration, is the first NYC mayor to be indicted while in office. The U.S. Department of Justice laid out a strong case that the mayor had accepted illegal campaign contributions and free, lavish trips in return for doing favors for the Turkish government. Adams faced heavy odds that he would be convicted and sent to prison. In fact, just a few weeks ago, Federal prosecutors in NYC announced that they would soon file additional charges.

But, in a stunning reversal, on Monday Emil Bove III, the acting number two DOJ official, ordered Federal prosecutors in Manhattan to drop the charges against Adams. The mayor, a Democrat, had assiduously courted Donald Trump since the election, hoping that the new President would pardon him. In effect, that is what Trump did, through an unprecedented intervention on Adams’ behalf.

Historically, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York has operated with great independence and integrity. But Trump is shredding that proud tradition, as he purges ethical prosecutors and replaces them with flunkeys.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams/photo: Getty Images

A Flashy, Incompetent Mayor

Eric Adams won't go to jail, but politically, he's probably finished in New York.

The mayor’s approval ratings have languished in the low 20s for a long time. Adams is a big talker, but he has been woefully ineffective as mayor. Adams has little to show for his time in office, and he hired several cronies for high positions in his administration. Tammany Hall seemed to be the mayor’s inspiration, and patronage was his greatest legacy.

Adams has picked unnecessary fights with the powerful City Council, which passes laws and sets the municipal budget. His relationship with Adrienne Adams (no relation), the Council’s leader, is toxic. Furthermore, the mayor has alienated many other Democratic leaders in the city and state, and he does not have a deep reservoir of goodwill to draw upon.

The mayor is claiming that the DOJ’s decision to dismiss the charges shows that he is innocent, but most voters won’t believe him. A staggering number of top officials in his administration, including his closest long-time aide, have resigned because they are being investigated for corruption. Furthermore, the DOJ said specifically that it was not commenting on the validity of the charges against Adams. Instead, Bove’s letter cited blatantly political grounds for dropping the case.

Adams’ sycophantical approach to Trump will not endear him to many voters in NYC. They were not thrilled that Adams accepted a last-minute invite to attend Trump’s inaugural…and in the overflow room with other lesser dignitaries. Although Trump increased his share of the vote in the latest election, the city remains overwhelmingly Democratic. Kamala Harris won 70% of the vote in New York City.

A Very Lame Duck

Adams is running for re-election, with the primary in late June. Usually, the incumbent easily wins a second term in NYC, but Adams was already facing an uphill battle. The mayor’s struggles led numerous challengers to enter the race.

The field of candidates reflects the city’s diversity and includes:

Scott Stringer, former comptroller (Manhattan)

Brad Lander, comptroller (Brooklyn)

Zohran Mamdani, state assemblyman (Queens)

Zellnor Myrie, state senator (Brooklyn)

Jessica Ramos, state senator (Queens)

All the other candidates, except Stringer, are progressive. Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, was born in Uganda and is Indian American. Myrie is Black, and Ramos is Latina.

A Boost for Cuomo?

Andrew Cuomo might be the biggest winner from Adams’ sell-out to Trump. The former governor has been polling well ahead of the other candidates, even though he has not officially entered the race. The other politicians don’t have Cuomo’s name recognition and his impressive record of accomplishments as governor, which include the Second Avenue Line, rebuilding LaGuardia Airport, and replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge (now the Mario Cuomo Bridge.)

Cuomo is not a knight in shining armor, of course, and his competitors would have ample grounds to attack him if he became a candidate. That’s a subject for another article.

Another factor could have a major impact on the race. We are witnessing a generational and racial shift in the Democratic leadership in New York City and Westchester County, the populous suburb just north of it. Black and Latino politicians are becoming more powerful and replacing white Establishment figures. The leaders of the State Senate and the State Assembly are African American. Hakeem Jeffries, the Minority Leader, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ritchie Torres are the most prominent faces of New York’s Democratic Congressional delegation.

The growing power of minority voters helped Adams win his campaign for mayor, and it might benefit the other candidates for mayor who are people of color. All the candidates listed above have raised significant amounts of money, except for Ramos.

Throwing Immigrants Under the Bus

Adams has already served as a “useful idiot” for Trump. Although New York City is a sanctuary city, Adams has echoed Trump’s lies about immigrants causing crime waves in inner cities. On Monday, the mayor instructed his staff to cooperate with Federal immigration officials—which might violate city and state laws—and to refrain from criticizing the President.

The mayor seems prepared to throw undocumented immigrants under the bus…or more precisely, into the van. Mass deportations of illegal immigrants from the city would devastate many neighborhoods and deal a severe blow to the city’s hospitality and construction industries. These sectors depend heavily on immigrant workers, both legal and illegal.

What Will Be Trump’s Price?

What chits will Trump call in next? The mayor will have to stay in Trump’s good graces, because the Attorney General recommended that the charges be dismissed “without prejudice”. In other words, the DOJ could decide to restart the case any time it wanted to. Trump will have a great deal of leverage over Adams.

Will Trump demand that Adams join him in attacking congestion pricing? Will the mayor try to torpedo the program, even though it is working well? Gov. Kathy Hochul, not Adams, has the ultimate authority on the program, but Adams could create a lot of political pressure on her to abandon it. (Trump also wants to eliminate the bike lanes that were established years ago and have become popular. Why does the President of the United States care about bike lanes in NYC? Is he just jealous of people who can ride bikes?)

The congestion pricing program has already reduced traffic significantly, and the fees will finance badly needed capital improvements for the subway system. According to a recent poll, two-thirds of those who drive into the city and pay tolls support congestion pricing, because it has reduced their commuting time so much. However, several politicians from the outer boroughs (Staten Island, Queens, the Bronx) are grandstanding on the issue, and many voters still oppose the program.

Providing Ammunition to Republicans

The mayor angered many Democratic officials in 2022, when he repeatedly and falsely blamed undocumented immigrants for an increase in crime in the city. Adams also complained bitterly about the cost that the new arrivals imposed on the city and the Biden Administration’s failure to provide funds.

A wave of illegal immigrants did put great pressure on the city’s budget, but that was no excuse for Adams’ intemperate statements and lies. Adams also exaggerated the extent of the increase in crime. In fact, homicides fell from a peak during the Covid epidemic.

Adams inadvertently gave the Republicans ammunition to use against his fellow Democrats in the 2022 election. The Republicans highlighted Adams’ remarks in their campaign videos, which focused heavily on the supposed “crime wave” sweeping through the city and suburbs. Their strategy was very successful, particularly because Democrats focused too much on abortion rights rather than crime issues.

The Republicans flipped several Congressional seats in New York, which gave them a majority in the House of Representatives. Gov. Kathy Hochul won her election, but by a margin of only five points. That was profoundly embarrassing in a state where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans two to one.

Most New Yorkers won’t miss Eric Adams if he doesn’t serve a second term as mayor. But Adams could inflict considerable damage on the city or its reputation if Trump demands that.

First, Adams sold his office for fancy trips and unlawful campaign donations. Now, he has sold his soul.

The Wall Street Democrat