We are now about two months away from voters heading to the polls in New York City, where we will see if the largest city in this country will be gift-wrapped for a new socialist mayor.
The only way Zohran Mamdani can be beaten is if two of the three other candidates currently in the race drop out.
Reports broke today that President Donald Trump is considering putting his thumb on the scale, and boy, did it get a reaction.
Current New York City Mayor Eric Adams found himself in a bit of a pickle last year when he was brought up on charges related to bribery.
From the reports I saw, his was an open and shut case, very similar to that of former Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who was found guilty and sent to prison.
The Department of Justice got involved and dropped the charges, asking the judge to do so without prejudice. When I saw that report, it was clear that the administration planned to get some type of cooperation from Adams in exchange for the dismissal, keeping the option of refiling the case open if the mayor did not deliver.
Well, the presiding judge did allow the charges to be dropped, but instead did so with prejudice, noting that he would not permit the case to be held as leverage over the mayor.
When the DOJ dropped the charges against Adams, I was very vocal in opposition to the move because I thought Trump was allowing yet another corrupt politician off the hook.
Now, the situation is getting even worse, if reports are true. Trump is reportedly talking to Adams about offering him a spot in the administration in exchange for dropping out of the mayoral race, giving former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo a better shot against Mamdani.
A unnamed source told the New York Post, “I think Adams would be able to craft a position and a portfolio that’s to his liking. I’ve heard the Adams team wants it.”
I don’t like this idea for two reasons. First, it would be considered a clear quid pro quo. Second, I think Adams is corrupt, and I do not want him having anything to do with the Trump administration.
One of the reasons I don’t like reports that use unnamed sources is that there is nobody to point the finger at if the story goes down in flames, which is what the Adams campaign wants to happen with this one.
Todd Shapiro, Adams’ campaign spokesman, stated, “Mayor Adams has not met with Donald Trump -- don’t believe the noise. He is not dropping out of the race.”
Adams took this stance just a few days ago when a former aide was hit with four more indictments, stating, “I’m never going to quit on the City of New York. We’ve worked too hard to get here, and to those thousands of men and women who serve this city every day, I want to tell them thank you.”
I don’t want Mamdani to win, but I am not willing to create a quid pro quo situation in order to impact the race, nor do I want to see the president put his thumb on the scale like this. It might be a small win if the strategy works, but we have to think big picture here, and this would crush the GOP in the 2026 races. Let the chips fall where they may, and we will figure out how to deal with a potential Mamdani win after if it happens. We need to beat the avowed socialist at the polls, but this is not the way to do it, in my opinion.
