Senior aides in the White House are quietly considering bringing Eric Adams into President Trump’s administration, sources revealed, while political insiders push struggling mayoral hopefuls to exit the race in order to consolidate opposition against socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani.
Discussions about Adams potentially receiving a coveted position have been happening among senior Trump officials, though it is not known whether the president himself has been directly involved yet, according to people familiar with the matter.
“I think Adams would be able to craft a position and a portfolio that’s to his liking,” one source connected to Trump’s team said.
“I’ve heard the Adams team wants it,” added another person familiar with White House deliberations.
A political insider close to Adams acknowledged that members of his circle are encouraging him to accept the federal lifeline, but Adams himself has not appeared fully convinced.
“I have a job. I’m running for re-election, I’m still doing that and I’m looking forward to getting re-elected,” Adams told reporters during a press event Wednesday, brushing aside the chatter.
These behind-the-scenes maneuvers come at a time when Adams’ scandal-plagued independent re-election effort looks all but doomed, and his continued candidacy is seen as making Mamdani’s road to City Hall easier with four names still in the running.
Mamdani vaulted into the lead after unexpectedly defeating ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.
But Cuomo, refusing to bow out, launched an independent campaign of his own.
With both men still running and others lingering in the race, Mamdani’s advantage has only grown stronger. Surveys show his dominance would only be seriously tested in a direct head-to-head battle with Cuomo.
For months, Trump’s allies have tried persuading long-shot candidates like independent Jim Walden and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa to stand down, according to insiders. Walden formally ended his far-fetched campaign on Tuesday.
Adams did not seek the Democratic nomination after the Trump Justice Department controversially decided to drop a corruption case against him.
Instead, he pursued an independent path, after he and his donors unsuccessfully lobbied for Sliwa to be offered a role in Trump’s administration, a deal that would have paved Adams’ way to secure the Republican line in November, sources have said.
Sliwa, however, turned down the administration’s job offer, one insider confirmed.
“Now, they are seeing if Adams would be interested in working for the administration,” a source explained. “Adams is in a unique position in the sense of he does share a lot of the administration’s goals especially on crime and immigration, so he could likely make a real impact whether at home or abroad.”
An ambassadorship is seen as the most attractive possibility for Adams, considering his long-held ambition to do international consulting work once his time as mayor ends, another insider noted.
“He can have any ambassadorship he wants,” someone close to Adams claimed.
“Mayor Adams has made it clear he will not respond to every rumor that comes up. He will remain focus , not be distracted and Grind for New Yorkers,” Adams campaign spokesman Todd Shapiro said in a statement.
According to Shapiro, Adams has not had any conversations with Trump nor sat down with him about the mayoral race.
“The Mayor is fully committed to winning this election, with millions of New Yorkers preparing to cast their votes. His record is clear: crime is down, jobs are up, and he has consistently stood up for working families. Mayor Adams is focused on building on that progress and earning four more years to continue delivering for the people of New York.”
Still, Adams and his advisers had a private strategy session scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to determine whether to continue his struggling re-election campaign, sources said.
Although Adams has repeatedly insisted he intends to fight until the end, he appeared to shift slightly in tone after spending his birthday week in Florida on Tuesday.
When a Fox5 reporter pressed him Wednesday morning about speculation he might leave the race, Adams offered a response that was notably less emphatic than usual.
“Whenever I make a move, I’ll make an announcement. I’m in this race to win and if anything changes, trust me, I’ll be on Channel 5,” he said.
{Matzav.com}