Eric Adams Denies Trump Admin Reports, Vows To Stay In Mayoral Race Against Socialist Frontrunner

Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams vowed to continue his longshot independent reelection bid on Friday afternoon despite sagging poll numbers against socialist frontrunner and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.

Adams, who has maintained for weeks that he would not exit the race, denied reports that he is considering taking a job in the Trump administration in a fiery press conference. His decision to stay in the race, pinned on his dislike for fellow independent candidate, former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, could doom an effort from anti-Mamdani forces to stave off a socialist victory in November.

“Andrew Cuomo is a snake and a liar,” Adams told a crowd of reporters. “I am in this race and I’m the only one that can beat Mamdani.”

Adams has faced considerable pressure to suspend his campaign as poor polling numbers and several corruption scandals clouded his path to victory. Some Republicans, centrist Democrats and New York business community leaders sweating over the prospect of a socialist mayor are attempting to narrow the field in an effort to unify the anti-Mamdani electorate around one candidate.

President Donald Trump has offered support for narrowing the number of candidates in the election. “If you have more than two candidates, you have a communist mayor of New York,” he told reporters on Friday, shortly after Adams announced his intention to stay in the race.

The president on Thursday evening called Mamdani a “communist” that needs to be defeated.

Trump’s advisors reportedly floated nominating Adams to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia to incentivize the incumbent mayor to pump the brakes on his longshot reelection bid. The president’s team has also offered Adams a position at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Politico first