In a CNBC interview, Mayor Eric Adams defended his re-election campaign, emphasizing his pro-growth, pro-business leadership in contrast to Democratic primary winner Zohran Mamdani. Adams dismissed Mamdani’s platform as unrealistic, warning that policies like rent freezes and government-run services threaten small businesses and economic progress. He cited job growth, record-breaking tourism, and major investments as proof of his administration’s success. Acknowledging low approval ratings and past legal challenges, Adams insisted New Yorkers care more about results than political narratives. He reaffirmed his commitment to affordability, public safety, and inclusivity—vowing to unite moderate voters and continue delivering for all of NYC.
Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street”
Sara Eisen: Welcome back. I sat down just moments ago with New York City Mayor Eric Adams discussing the kickoff of his campaign and making his case for his re-election bid as Wall Street grapples with the Democratic primary upset of Zohran Mandani this week. Have a listen to what he said, his message is for Wall Street.
Mayor Eric Adams: I think that they have a right to be concerned when you look at someone who is just not pro-business, pro-growth. This is not a socialist country and we’re darn sure we’re not a socialist city. This is a city of business opportunities but I want to allay their fears.
I’m going to beat them and we’re going to continue the growth that we’ve witnessed in the city under this administration. More jobs in the city history, more small businesses in the city history. [In the] last 12 months, Broadway has had the best recorded success in this city. Crime is down, jobs are up and we’re going to continue that.
Eisen: You said this isn’t a socialist city. Are you surprised that more than 430,000 people voted for him here in New York?
Mayor Adams: No I’m not. The Democratic primary is the far left of the Democratic Party. Over 2 million Democrats did not vote, over a million independents did not vote and so when you factor in the far left of the party is really what elected him.
Now it’s time for the whole party to get engaged. So are there [430,000] people who have that philosophy in a city of 8.5 million? Yes, there is but the overwhelming number of New Yorkers, want a city where they have opportunities and that is what New York City represents.
Eisen: But he will be the Democratic nominee. You said we’re going to beat him, how are you going to beat him in a city that is overwhelmingly Democrat? One in six New Yorkers.
Mayor Adams: Right and when you look at the party, the Democratic Party, we have several factions. I’m still a Democrat running on an independent line that the law and the rules allow me to do. So the Democratic Party is not monolithic.
There’s a far-left, AOC, extremist end and then you have the moderate end and a conservative end of the Democratic Party. Like I said, over 2 million did not vote and so when you factor in that 2 million and then a million independents you begin to see the real flavor of the city.
Eisen: What about your popularity? A lot of people see that as an obstacle as well. I saw a poll from back in March showing a 20 percent approval rating, lowest for a New York City mayor in 30 years.
Mayor Adams: And when you look at what I was going through during that period of time, I had 15 months of seeing lawfare, being charged with a crime because I [tried] to defend this city and the Justice Department did a re-examination of that, that charge was dismissed.
Now I have an entire four months to show what we’ve done in this city, how we brought down crime, how we brought investments here, how we see 65 million tourists come here in the city, what we’ve done with Pre-K, 3-K, 150,000 young people are now getting early childhood education.
I’m out now to sell my message and not have that dark cloud that I was fighting against every day, but got up every day and delivered for this city. We’re in a better place because of what we’ve done in this city.
Eisen: But you’re right, I mean it’s a perception thing, right or wrong, there’s a perception of corruption and then the fact that the Trump administration bailed you out, that doesn’t look good in a city like New York and whether you could be indebted to that.
Mayor Adams: Well I think that, I have to turn that perception into reality and the best way to do it is what I hear all the time. When I go to [the] town hall and community meetings and I start listing what we’ve accomplished, people say I didn’t know that mayor, I didn’t know that mayor and they don’t sit in these town hall meetings, they don’t sit here and ask me about did the Justice Department decide that the case was bogus and it should be dropped.
That’s not the question I’m asked. I’m asking about affordability, public safety, how we are going to make sure we can raise healthy children and families. Those are the issues that are on the minds of voters. In our bubble, we talk about issues that are on our mind but when you go out there in Brownsville, South Jamaica, Queens, South Bronx, they’re talking about the bread-and-butter issues, no one has delivered for them more than I have. My days have been a police officer, state senator, borough president and now the mayor.
Eisen: Where do you think you differ the most with Mandani?
Mayor Adams: I think it’s an easier question to [ask] one of the two areas where you’re similar on.
Eisen: Are there?
Mayor Adams: Well first of all, I agree with the affordability issue but I know growing up in poverty, [] unsure if we [would] have a roof over our heads, [we] used to carry a garbage bag full of clothing to school every day because mom thought we were going to be thrown out.
So I know what people are going through but the difference between what he’s doing and what I’m doing, he is giving false promises to people on items he can’t deliver and that’s wrong. There’s nothing worse than telling people who are in terrible states that you’re going to do something that you know you can’t deliver.
Eisen: Like what? Are you talking about the rent freezes?
Mayor Adams: Well even the entire foundation of his promises is based on a 1 percent increase in a tax increase and 1 percent of New Yorkers. Mayors don’t do income tax increases. The state is responsible for that. He’s an assemblyman in the state. Why isn’t he doing it now? I put $30 billion dollars back into the pockets of New Yorkers paying off medical debt, dropping the cost of child care.
We just got Albany to pass a bill to remove income tax for low-income New Yorkers. It has never been done before. They no longer will be paying income tax. So where I’m delivering for New Yorkers who are in the state that I grew up in, he’s giving false promises on things he can’t deliver. And New Yorkers are not looking for someone just to give them a handout.
There’s nothing dignified by stating I’m going to give you a handout. He wants government grocery stores. What happens to the local bodegas when you do that? Do we shut them down? He wants to give free buses and all of these things that he can’t deliver.
He could deliver them in Albany where he’s supposed to be. Four years he was there. He hasn’t passed one bill. Not one bill. He wasn’t doing his job there. He’s not going to be able to do [the] job here.
Eisen: He has tapped into the housing crisis in the city. We do have housing shortages and housing affordability issues. He wants to freeze rent stabilized, [and] build new housing units. How do you fix this issue?
Mayor Adams: Yes, think about it for the moment. We have produced more housing in individual years of any mayor in the history of the city. Our housing plan of building affordable- and building housing is more than Bloomberg twelve years and de Blasio eight years. We’ve done it in three and a half years.
We need more tools from Albany because we’re a creature of Albany. We need more tools from Albany to continue to expand what we are doing. We passed the City of Yes. We’re building more now in every neighborhood. That has never been done before.
We have 59 community boards in the city. 10 of them we’re building more housing than the other 49 combined. We’ve changed that. And so we have continued to move forward to build housing. Talking about it and delivering on it [are] two different things.
Eisen: So I mean, a lot of what he promises might not be possible, but I think the tone that he sets is something real. So he’s been very anti-Israel throughout the campaign. He has also justified slogans like “Globalize The Intifada,” which we know means a call for violence against Jewish people. That’s what intifadas in the past have been terrorism. Why do you think New Yorkers are okay with this?
Mayor Adams: I don’t think New Yorkers are, again-
Eisen: We Democrats are. I mean, are you surprised to see leaders like Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Schumer come out and congratulate him?
Mayor Adams: I don’t think Democrats are, as I was sharing. Democratic Party is not a monolithic party. And when you have the millions of Democrats who are registered to vote, his small infraction of them is not an indicator of what the party is because I’m a Democrat.
I don’t stand by those beliefs. I think I’ve been consistent in my stance on Israel and my stance on ensuring that antisemitism doesn’t grow in our city and fighting against all forms of hate, no matter where it comes from. And many Democrats and working class people of this city embrace that same belief.
We always have extreme arms. We can’t get away from that. And that is the byproduct of being in a country like America. You’re going to have those extreme arms. But that is not where the overwhelming number of New Yorkers and Democrats are.
Eisen: Do you think you can win this, if Cuomo stays in the race?
Mayor Adams: Yes, I do. I believe Andrew ran and his numbers are clear on how he lost to Mandani. And I think that we’re going to come out with a very clear message, very direct message. And he doesn’t have a record. I have a record. I could run on my record, and that’s what I’m excited about to let New Yorkers know about the record.
Eisen: You met with Dan Loeb a few days ago and some business leaders. How did that go? What did you hear from that?
Mayor Adams: It went well. You know, these are businessmen and women who were in the room, and they want to make sure our city does not go backwards. They agree. We’re moving in the right direction, we’re trending, we have built a great team, and they want to be a part of making sure our city does not go in the wrong direction.
Eisen: What’s your fundraising dollars look like over the last few days?
Mayor Adams: Well, we’re still fighting to get our $4 million that we lost. We already had money on hand, you know, I’m a very conservative person who comes down to spending money, going to spend it for the right thing, and we’re getting a lot of excitement on our fundraising apparatus.
We are [hearing] a number of calls, we don’t have enough days in the week to host the events that we want to host, and we’re going to be excited. We will have the money to fight. You could only spend $8 million in the mayor’s race. We already have $3 million that’s on hand, and we think we’re going to get the $4 million that we lost during these bogus charges.
Eisen: Many people think we’ve got to see the Republican and Cuomo drop out for you to have a chance here. Should they?
Mayor Adams: People always underestimated me, they underestimated me when I was a little boy, suffering from dyslexia, couldn’t read, they called me the “dumb student,” and so when you go from being dyslexic to elected, because you’re determined. I’m a gritty, hard-fighting, resilient New Yorker.
Remember, it was only a few miles or less from here that we saw our center of trade collapse on 9/11, but 9/12 we got up, and no matter what we go through as New Yorkers, we get up. I’m a resilient New Yorker, long-term New Yorker. I didn’t just get here, I’ve been here for a long time.
June 27, 2025 Manhattan New York
Sources: nyc.gov , Big New York News
