Why NYC Mayor Eric Adams could be a big winner of Trump presidency
Scandal-plagued, politically isolated and federally indicted Mayor Eric Adams could end up being one of the biggest winners of another Donald Trump presidency, insiders told The Post Thursday.
The scuttlebutt swirling around the SOMOS conference — the annual political retreat in Puerto Rico where New York politicos hobnob — this week is that Trump in the White House makes it more likely Adams will legally and politically survive his historic bribery and corruption case.
“There is going to be a resurrection of Eric Adams with a presidential pardon with Trump in office,” one Democratic operative quipped.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his belief that Adams has been railroaded by vengeful federal prosecutors — and some in the mayor’s camp after Tuesday’s election have double-downed on their theory that the incoming president could hamper the case or even toss a potential conviction, sources close to the mayor said.
Adams’ inner circle itself is split into two camps over what Trump’s win means for Hizzoner, insiders told The Post.
One camp believes that Trump could help Adams’ legal battle by either installing a new US Attorney, effectively killing the case, or by pardoning the mayor if he’s convicted in a trial, sources said.
But others close to Adams worry that if the federal case is dropped that state prosecutors in New York, perhaps even Attorney General Letitia James, could revive the case with a focus on straw donor accusations, sources said.
The whispers coincided with an actual talk between Trump and Adams, who revealed Thursday that he spoke with the incoming president the day before.
Adams refused to divulge many details about the chat, including whether the two spoke about his criminal case, but offered that their conversation focused on New York City.
“I communicated with the President yesterday to state that there are many issues here in the city that we want to work together with the administration to address, a lot of our infrastructure issues,” he said.
“The city must move forward, and that’s what our goal is to do.”
Beyond the implications for Adams’ criminal case, political insiders at Somos have been speculating about what a Trump presidency could mean for the mayor’s place within the Democratic Party.
Adams, a former Republican, publicly backed Vice President Kamala Harris, but avoided badmouthing Trump in the run-up to Tuesday’s election.
He notably pushed back on the Democratic charge that the Republican nominee is a “fascist” comparable to Adolf Hitler and coyly hinted he’d welcome Trump’s support as he fought the corruption charges.
And behind the scenes, Adams’ legal team hired Trump-linked lawyers.
Insiders pondered whether New York Democrats’ reaction to a Trump presidency could leave Adams on the outs with the party, given his willingness to cozy up to the incoming president.
Some noted Adams’ status as a moderate, even conservative, Democrat could be a boon for him if the party realigns to regain voters turned off by its recent stances on crime and social issues.
But Adams would have no place in the party if New York Democrats push further left to create an Empire State bulwark of resistance against Trump’s expected hardline crackdowns on issues such as abortion and immigration, insiders said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and the attorney general, for instance, already held a joint press conference Wednesday indicating they were prepared to “fight back” against Trump’s policy proposals.
Adams’ reputation and future have been imperiled by the five-count federal indictment unveiled in September, though Hochul has so far declined to call on him to step aside or move to remove him from office.
Federal prosecutors with the Southern District of New York alleged Adams took bribes from Turkish nationals and officials in the form of $123,000 worth of luxury travel perks, and defrauded taxpayers out of $10 million in campaign funds through illegal straw donations.
He has pleaded not guilty.
