NYC Mayor Eric Adams meets with President Trump at White House
With the threat of federal budget cuts a very real concern, Mayor Eric Adams traveled to Washington on Friday to meet with President Trump on what he called several key priorities for New York City.
Every time Adams goes to Washington, it raises eyebrows because of the role the Trump administration played in getting the mayor's criminal case dismissed, but Adams is adamant that a good working relationship with President Trump is smart governing.
Adams alerted New Yorkers to the visit while he was on the plane to Washington.
"We are on a flight to D.C. to meet with the president and his administration to go over some important issues that impact the city. We're looking for ways to collaborate to address infrastructure and other funding items," Adams said in a video posted on social media.
Adams made the pilgrimage to curry favor with the president hoping to avert threatened cuts to federal aid expected to be in the so-called "big, beautiful budget" the president wants Congress to pass.
Aides said the mayor's shopping list included federal funding for the five boroughs and money for infrastructure projects like the reconstruction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
Since this is a mayoral election year, some of the candidates couldn't resist attacking Adams for the visit.
"Adams already gave up his independence as Mayor to save himself from criminal prosecution. Now, Trump and his cronies are coming to collect - and New York City will keep paying the price," St. Sen. Zellnor Myrie said.
Newly elected Republican City Councilmember Frank Morano begs to differ.
"I think it's certainly a good idea. I think whoever the mayor is should have a good relationship with whoever the president is, quite frankly. That's why I think some of the Democrats running are really kind of shooting themselves in the foot by running against Trump, because they're going to have to work with Trump," Morano said.
Adams releases statement after meeting with president
Adams released this statement after his meeting with Trump:
"New Yorkers elected me to fight for them and their families, and every single day, our administration works to make our city better and to uphold our indisputable title as the greatest city in the world.
" As part of that mission, I met this afternoon with President Trump and members of his administration at the White House to discuss critical infrastructure projects, as well as the preservation of essential social services, among other topics.
"Our meeting was productive and laid a strong foundation for continued discussions about New York City's top priorities and, in the coming weeks, I am hopeful our administrations will meet again to build on this progress. A good leader finds common ground to get things done, and that's why I remain committed to working with this administration wherever collaboration helps make New York City the best place in the world to raise a family."
Meeting with Trump comes amid Adams' reelection bid
Adams is running for reelection as an independent on two party lines. One deals with antisemitism, the other a safer, more affordable city. He apparently thinks showing his ability to save the city from big budget cuts will improve his standing.
As to whether he can win reelection, that remains to be seen.
There's also an open question about Adams' dismissed corruption case. The court unsealed a cache of documents, which could hurt him, or help him, with the public.
