Trump says Mayor Adams came to White House to 'thank' him after indictment dismissal
Published in News & Features
President Donald Trump said New York City Mayor Eric Adams came to the White House on Friday so the mayor could “thank” him in the wake of the dismissal of Adams’ federal corruption indictment.
“Almost nothing,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked what he and Adams discussed during their brief sit-down earlier in the day. “He came in to say hello, I think he came into thank me, frankly — I would say the primary reason. But he was very nice, he’s a nice man, but I think he actually came in to thank me.”
Adams, whose relationship with Trump has come under scrutiny since the Department of Justice stepped in earlier this year to quash the mayor’s corruption case, recalled the meeting differently.
“Just left the meeting with the president talking about those issues that are important to New York City, like the wind farm project and how we can move the city forward, and talking about how do we do investments in our city,” Adams said in a video posted on X of him walking outside the White House.
Adams’ wind farm reference appeared to be related to a green energy project in Brooklyn that Trump’s administration has sought to derail.
Adams said in the video his conversation with Trump also revolved around “the manufacturing industry” and “developing our own chips,” a reference to semiconductor production. The city is exploring the possibility of establishing a chip production facility at Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx.
“At the heart of this was to establish a real communication, that’s our goal,” he added. “We must have a dialogue with the White House, and that’s what we’re going to do, that’s my responsibility.”
The meeting lasted less than 30 minutes, according to a source briefed on the matter. The White House confirmed the meeting came at Adams’ request.
The source, who spoke with The New York Daily News before and after the White House meeting, said Adams had hoped to talk to Trump about a need to secure more federal money for the city, including for its Emergency Management agency, which could face serious funding shortfalls because of the president’s push to slash federal funding across the board.
Tiffany Raspberry, deputy mayor for intergovernmental affairs, was also in the meeting with Trump, according to Adams spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak.
Trump’s Department of Justice last month secured the dismissal of the mayor’s indictment, which accused him of taking bribes and illegal campaign cash, mostly from Turkish government operatives, in exchange for political favors. In seeking the dismissal, Trump’s DOJ officials said they weren’t opining on the merits of the case against the mayor, but wrote they needed it quashed so Adams could play a larger role in helping Trump target undocumented New Yorkers for “mass deportations.”
That unusual arrangement has left many to believe Adams is beholden to Trump.
Amid the political fallout, Adams, who denies a quid pro quo with Trump, dropped out of June’s Democratic mayoral primary last month and is instead seeking reelection as an independent candidate in November’s general election.
The mayor has consistently said he wants to “work, not war” with the president.
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