New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) is distancing himself from a label Vice President Kamala Harris has called former President Donald Trump.
Adams said that he does not believe Trump is a “fascist,” according to Politico.
“I have heard those terms hurled at me by some political leaders in the city, using terms like Hitler and fascist,” Adams said at a press conference at the New York Police Department headquarters on Saturday.
Asked if he believes the Republican presidential nominee is a “fascist,” as Harris and others have labeled him, Adams said, “My answer is no, I know what Hitler has done and I know what a fascist regime looks like.”
He also declared, “I think we can all dial down the temperature,” per the New York Post.
The New York City mayor has repeatedly declined to criticize Trump. Additionally, Adams plead not guilty in September to a five-count criminal indictment.
Harris was asked during a CNN town hall recently if she believed Trump is a “fascist,” to which she responded, “Yes, I do.”
Trump held a rally in New York City at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
With 8 days until the election, The New York Times’ national polling average has Harris at 49% and Trump at 48%. FiveThirtyEight’s polling average has Harris at 48.1% and Trump at 46.6%.