New York City Mayor Eric Adams said his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump on Friday, January 17, went "well," but declined to immediately talk about what they discussed. The Democratic mayor flew to Florida to see the president-elect. Adams confirmed that the meeting had taken place to a New York Times reporter, who posted a brief video of their exchange to X.
When he was asked if they spoke about the new $9 toll for most drivers entering Manhattan that Trump has said he will block when he returns to office, Adams said he would have more to say later. Adams added that he saw Sylvester Stallone during his visit with Trump and told the actor "how much I love his ‘Rocky' series."
A spokesperson for Adams said the mayor wanted to see Trump to "discuss New Yorkers' priorities." The gathering wasn't open to journalists.
A federal grand jury indicted Adams in September on charges that he accepted luxury travel perks and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals in exchange for favors that included helping Turkish diplomatic officials resolve issues with fire safety inspectors at a diplomatic building in Manhattan. He is scheduled to go on trial in April.
His 'own' needs
The mayor's visit to see Trump now was castigated by several of his potential opponents in this year's Democratic mayoral primary. Several accused Adams of cozying up to Trump in an effort to get a presidential pardon.
"Who is this meeting for, New Yorkers or Eric Adams? Our city has too many problems right now for us to worry about if he's fighting for New Yorkers or a hypothetical pardon for himself," former city comptroller Scott Stringer said on X.
"No one believes that Eric Adams sneaked off to Mar-a-Lago to advocate for the needs of any New Yorkers other than his own," said state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.
Trump said in December that he was open to giving Adams a pardon and has criticized the case against him.
Adams has said he suspects he was prosecuted because he had criticized President Joe Biden's immigration policies. The former U.S. attorney who brought the case has said politics wasn't a consideration.