New York City Mayor Eric Adams blasted Democratic rival Zohran Mamdani’s pro-affordability efforts as unrealistic, warning that idealistic promises like eliminating bus fares and implementing rent freezes may sound positive to some on the front end, but ignore the truths facing working-class New Yorkers.
“All of these things sound good because the affordability issue is real,” Adams told “Mornings with Maria” guest host Cheryl Casone on Tuesday.
“I grew up in poverty. I grew up on the verge of homelessness. I know what it is to be struggling. I know where poverty is. He grew up in luxury. He doesn’t know the real story of a New Yorker and how difficult it is. I think nothing is more harmful than promising things to people you know you can’t deliver. That’s wrong to do, and I’m going to let New Yorkers know that.”
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The Democrat-turned-Independent mayor argued that Mamdani’s platform is built on false hope, insisting that there’s nothing more damaging than promising voters things Mamdani himself knows cannot be delivered.
Mamdani’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The self-described Democratic Socialist has promoted a laundry list of far-left ideas that include redirecting tax funds away from subsidies to private grocery chains to create a network of city-owned grocery stores, cracking down on “bad landlords” by having the city take control of neglected properties, instituting universal free childcare for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years and raising wages for childcare workers to be on par with public school teachers, among others.
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A key part of Adams’ reelection strategy involves articulating Mamdani’s platform to voters in a way that highlights its flaws. He also intends to register one million new voters in hopes of getting them to the polls this November.
“We’re going to allow the 91 percent of New Yorkers to come out and voice what they want our city to look like,” he said.
“Only 9 percent voted in the primaries. 91 percent have yet to communicate, so the question becomes, ‘Do we want to defund our police or support our police? Do we want empty Rikers Island and allow those dangerous criminals back in the community to impact them? Or do we just want to make sure that they serve their time for the crimes? Do we want to support small supermarkets, or do we want government supermarkets and dismantle an industry?’ So there’s some real differences between the candidates that are running and the current mayor.”
Adams touted his record on the economy and crime reduction, telling Casone that New York City’s economy is the “strongest [it] has ever been” and his refusal to defund the police or open up Rikers Island has led to less crime.
Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
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