New York City Mayor Eric Adams dismissed any doubt that he’d be running for another mayoral term in a speech on Tuesday night.

Adams compared the heat he’s taken from Democratic leaders calling for him to step down to the persecution that Jesus faced before being nailed to the cross.

“This is a biblical moment,” Adams said. “When Jesus was on the cross, he said, ‘God forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ All these negroes who are asking me to step down, God forgive them. Are you stupid? I’m running my race right now!”

Adams then touted several of his accomplishments, including his steps to build housing, take guns off the street, and create jobs. “What we have done, you have to be stupid to try to stop me from running this race,” he said.

The mayor is under immense pressure from Democratic leaders to step down. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) recently announced her intention to limit Adams’ power, placing more oversight measures to monitor him and prevent him from taking certain actions.

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins announced that they think it’s time for Adams to step down, signifying eroding support among his allies.

The recent outcry is partly due to an alleged quid-pro-quo with the Trump administration over his corruption case. Detractors have alleged the Trump administration is holding a possible future re-prosecution of Adams over his head if he doesn’t achieve its immigration priorities in the city.

Adams has denied this. His legal team has taken steps to prevent something like another prosecution against Adams from happening, asking the judge in his case to drop the charges “with prejudice,” meaning the case cannot be brought again.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Mayor Adams knowingly consented to the government’s motion to dismiss this case without prejudice,” Adams attorney Alex Spiro said in a court filing. “But the recent government leaks provide this court with an independent and more-than-sufficient basis to dismiss this prosecution due to the irreparable prejudice to Mayor Adams’s rights.”

The “leaks” Spiro was referring to is former Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon’s letter to acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, in which she alleged a quid-pro-quo between the Trump administration and Adams.

The case against Adams has not been dropped yet. Judge Dale E. Ho has deferred his ruling, appointing an independent lawyer to present arguments on such a motion.

“Normally, courts are aided in their decision-making through our system of adversarial testing,” Ho wrote, “which can be particularly helpful in cases presenting unusual fact patterns or in a case of great public importance.”

In the meantime, Adams is putting up a stronger front against the Trump administration, which he has been accused of cozying up to. He recently sued them for the $80 million that was seized because it was being used to shelter migrants.

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Adams defended his association with Trump, calling it a “level of buffoonery” that he shouldn’t be talking to the president.

“There’s a level of buffoonery that’s going on that’s spreading as fast as COVID. ‘Well, well, you shouldn’t be talking to the president,’” Adams said. “I’m the mayor of the biggest city in America! I will talk to who I want to to bring services to your city!”