As the first sitting mayor in New York City history to be charged with a crime, Mayor Eric Adams found himself stranded in a bit of uncharted territory.

Calls for his resignation were piling up. Several of his most powerful appointees had fled the administration. Reliable allies were more circumspect in offering support.

And even a routine news conference outside Gracie Mansion, if anything could be considered routine given the circumstances, was turned upside down on Thursday when Mr. Adams’s words of defense were sometimes drowned out by shouts of “you are a disgrace.”

A more significant warning sign soon followed, when the Rev. Al Sharpton, one of the mayor’s closest supporters, expressed concern on Thursday that Mr. Adams’s aggressive self-defense could hurt Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats electorally, and said that he would be convening a meeting with Black leaders to chart a path forward.

Mr. Adams has vowed to continue on as mayor, fighting to keep a job he loves and one that he has said was ordained by God.

Mr. Adams acknowledged that it was a “painful day” and called for a speedy trial.

“I ask New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense,” he said.