Photo: Adam Gray/Bloomberg/Getty Images
When he campaigned for mayor the first time, Eric Adams made his opinion of Tucker Carlson clear. “I don’t want or need the support of Tucker Carlson, or anyone else who perpetuates racist, anti-immigrant propaganda,” he said of the far-right commentator on social media in May 2021.
But a beleaguered Adams is now embracing Carlson: He sat down with the former Fox News talk show host for a lengthy interview taped at Gracie Mansion. The nearly 50-minute friendly chat was largely an airing of grievances with Adams sounding off on his legal strife and tying it back to his criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the migrant crisis. The interview comes as Adams has made significant overtures to President Donald Trump in recent months with speculation growing that he is angling for a pardon from the newly sworn-in president. Here are some notable moments from their sit-down.
Having been indicted by the Biden DOJ for political crimes, New York Mayor Eric Adams is sounding a lot like a Trump voter these days.
(0:00) Eric Adams’ Indictment Is Ridiculous
(6:04) How Biden Destroyed New York With Immigration
(17:27) What Do New Yorkers Think About the… pic.twitter.com/GZLofb2ZFv
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) January 22, 2025
Adams believes the Biden administration targeted him
Carlson opened the interview by asking Adams about his pending legal case, calling the federal charges of bribery and campaign-finance fraud against him “ridiculous.” Adams echoed Carlson’s words, saying that many people wanted to dismiss his claims that he was “a target.” He suggested that there were people in then-President Joe Biden’s orbit who were upset by his criticism of the White House’s handling of the migrant crisis affecting New York. “I think that there were those who were just angry about it and thought I wasn’t a good Democrat,” he said.
Carlson asked, “You complained, and this indictment was punishment for complaining. Is that what you’re saying?”
“That is clearly my belief and based on several aspects of it that I can’t go into detail, but there are other aspects of it that show me that I was targeted because of that,” Adams responded.
Adams says the White House downplayed his concerns
Adams told Carlson that he met with several members of Biden’s administration and twice with the president himself in order to relay his concerns about the influx of migrants into the city. He recounted one joint meeting in New York City with Biden and Governor Kathy Hochul, saying that he told Biden directly about the ongoing crisis.
“I said, ‘Mr. President, I’m not sure what they’re telling you about this problem, but this is a terrible problem that’s playing out on the ground. We need to fix our border,’” Adams said, noting to Carlson that the city was responsible for providing food, housing, and education to migrants and their families.
Eric Adams tells Tucker Carslon he was told “to be a good Democrat” when he complained about Biden’s border crisis.
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 22, 2025
Carlson then asked what the response was from the administration after sharing all this.
“Basically, ‘Be a good Democrat, Eric,’” Adams said. “One of his aides told me, ‘This is like a gallstone. It’ll pass.’”
Carlson challenges Adams on sanctuary cities
During the interview, Carlson indicated his disdain for sanctuary cities, saying that he believes New York City “committed an act of insurrection” in defiance of federal law by declaring itself one.
Adams did not take the bait when asked by Carlson if the federal government should send the military to the city as punishment for allowing undocumented immigrants to reside there. But the mayor indicated that he shares at least one position with Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan.
“Those who violate their rights to come here by committing crimes, they need to leave our country after they serve their time. We’re on the same page with that,” he said. “That immigrant family who’s trying to get a pathway into becoming a citizen, living out this amazing American Dream, I don’t think they should be rounded up in the middle of the night.”
Adams continues to distance himself from the Democratic Party
As he has in recent months, the mayor continued to distance himself from his political party, saying that Democrats are not focused on the real issues of everyday people.
“People often say, ‘You don’t sound like a Democrat. You seem to have left the party.’ No, the party left me, and it left working-class people,” he said.
He continued, “People are concerned about the future of their families, and that should be our focus and that’s the focus of this administration.”
The Eric Adams interview. Out tonight. pic.twitter.com/KSFUrEaTxM
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) January 21, 2025
The mayor invokes his rival Andrew (not that one)
Carlson asked Adams about a potential primary challenge from former governor Andrew Cuomo, who is said to be mulling a bid. The mayor demurred and focused instead on another Andrew, his 2021 challenger Andrew Yang.
“He hasn’t announced, and I’m a firm believer that I’m not running against anyone. I’m running against myself. Andrew Yang got into the race the last time. He was 13 points up in the poll, and the team — we were very clear. We have to run our race,” he said. “So no matter who’s in the race, I’m going to run my race, and I’m going to sell to New Yorkers what we did with this city and the reversal of where we were headed and where we’re going now.”
