Mika Brzezinski: Jonathan Lemire, Mike Barnicle and Katty Kay are still with us. And Joe, you and Willie have two special guests in New York. Who are they?
Joe Scarborough: They’re so special. We’ve had Democratic governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, and Democratic mayor of New York City, Eric Adams. I just got to ask you first of all, Mr. Mayor, looks like it’s pretty chaotic last night.
Mayor Eric Adams: Oh boy.
Brzezinski: Now now, Joe.
Scarborough: Yeah. Taxi cab driver was driving former royals with, according to the taxi driver, the royals…
Brzezinski: Joe.
Scarborough: I mean Mika, the cab driver said they were a safe distance apart, there was never… Did anybody get arrested for this chaotic two hour chase through New York City that looked like the beginning of those Dick Tracy cartoons with cars going in and out of the place?
Brzezinski: Oh my God.
Mayor Adams: No, no. No arrests. And we’re looking at it. I spoke with the police commissioner yesterday.
Scarborough: Any police commissioners say that it was almost tragic or that it was almost this, or almost that?
Mayor Adams: We are taking a close examination of the whole incident.
Scarborough: Oh, you’re… You don’t want to say. The initial take from the police officers, did any of them tell you or your people, oh boy, this was really dangerous, it was almost catastrophic?
Mayor Adams: I did not ever feel this level of cross-examination since I made an arrest as a cop.
Scarborough: Yeah, but exactly. But you probably know that the cross-examination continued. So did any police officers or any public officials say that this was an almost catastrophic scene?
Mayor Adams: Y’all know, I’m still looking into the process of what happened.
Brzezinski: You’re not going to go.
Scarborough: I don’t think he’s going to ask.
Willie Geist: Checking the cameras. Checking the cameras.
Scarborough: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Willie, you know, these guys together, they’re trying to do something that I desperately want and that is bring a World Cup match to the tri-state area.
Geist: So let’s set this up.
Brzezinski: I like it.
Geist: In less than one hour here in New York City, the official brand and logo of New York, New Jersey as a host city for the 2026 World Cup will be unveiled. That ceremony will be held in Times Square just around nine o’clock, and in just a couple of years, the 2026 World Cup will become the largest sporting event ever, spanning North America, held in three different countries, 16 cities will host matches, 48 teams will compete to reach the final. That final could be held here as New York and New Jersey’s venue reportedly is being considered, and how cool that would be.
Could be in your state, Governor Murphy. Could be out at MetLife Stadium as I understand it, perhaps, where the Jets and Giants play. There are a couple of other cities reported to be in contention for this final, which would just be amazing to have it here in New York City. What’s your case to make it in Jersey?
Governor Phil Murphy: Okay. So first of all, America is the world stage and New York City is center stage of the world stage. We’ve got an extraordinary stadium. The region has huge passion for the sport. We hosted games in ‘94, we hosted Women World Cup games in ‘99, each very successfully.
Frankly, and Eric and I were talking about this yesterday, no matter what package of games we get, and I think we’ll know in the fall, we’ll probably get a minimum of eight games. So that’s eight Super Bowls in six weeks with huge impact economically, passion for the sport in New York and New Jersey. It’s going to be incredible. And we’re pitching like heck to get the final, but either way, it’s going to be great.
Geist: Mr. Mayor, what would it mean to New York City to have that big final especially?
Mayor Adams: No, and it’s good for the region and it just shows the relationship and coordination with the governor, how we’re able to put a package together that was attractive enough to bring in such a major event. The economic boost, the tourism, the energy. And it just really allows a major event of disproportion to be on the world stage of New York City and New Jersey. You cannot deny that this is the center of America’s universe, if not globally.
Scarborough: Mike, I understand that Dallas, Texas is a competitor right now for New York, New Jersey. And I mean, you look at bringing an event that big into a state that has rising gun violence. You look at the open carry laws where people can carry around AR-15s, I think. I mean, it’s just… And again, the number of homicides there have gone up. Everybody talks about New York, you look at the crime rate in New York, it’s not what people say per capita, but it does seem like it. Do you really want to have a massive event with people carrying AR-15s around open carry?
Mike Barnicle: Well, I mean, we’re not saying anything new here. I mean, one of the issues that are in front of mind for—
Scarborough: And by the way, Greg Abbott encourages it. They got a governor that encourages this.
Barnicle: He was embarrassed that some other state had more gun owners than Texas had a couple of years ago, and actually tweeted out, come on Texas, let’s catch up.
But what’s foremost on the minds of American families, a lot of families, is the violence around us, the gun violence specifically. So the idea of holding a global event in a city like Dallas, and there are parts of Dallas that are terrific, there’s no doubt about it.
Governor Murphy: A lot of Dallas is terrific.
Barnicle: Okay. All right. Haven’t been to Dallas a lot, but…
Governor Murphy: No, go ahead. Go ahead.
Barnicle: Anyway—
Scarborough: Great city. Great city.
Barnicle: Where you can carry a gun, a shotgun, a rifle into a diner or wherever. That’s a problem. The other aspect of getting the final game here is, and this is anecdotal, I remember from years ago, John Timoney was number two of the New York City Police Department for years.
Mayor Adams: That’s a good man.
Barnicle: Very good friend of mine, a great cop. And he once told me that there were at least 85, perhaps a hundred different languages spoken within the New York Police Department. The idea of having a global event in a tri-state area where you have that many people, not just cops, but many residents who speak several different languages, it’s a global area, and it’s a magnet for a global event to be held here, the finals of the World Cup.
Mayor Adams: And really as the expansion of soccer in America. America is really the new frontier for the expansion of soccer. When you look at both of our municipalities, you’ll see the increase in the diversity of those languages and how the game is enjoyed in their home countries and now in the adopted country of America. So you are going to see the real energy that people are looking for for a major event like this.
But I think it’s also important that you pointed out, I said it over and over again, public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity. You have the safe city, it will attract those major events to take place, and that’s why we have brought down shootings in the city by double digits, decreased homicides, our seven majors you’re seeing moving in the right direction. It’s about making sure it’s safe, and the governor’s doing the same over in New Jersey.
You can read the entire interview at: https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/344-23/transcript-mayor-eric-adams-appears-live-msnbc-s-morning-joe-
