In some huge news out of New York City that came unexpectedly on Sunday, September 28, NYC Mayor Eric Adams, a former Democrat who left the party and became an Independent, announced that he was dropping out of the city’s mayoral race in the hope of turning the scales against the far-left, socialist candidate, Zohran Mamdani.
Such is what he posted in an over 8-minute-long clip that quickly went viral online after he posted to X early in the afternoon on Sunday. The announcement is major news, as it means that the anti-Mamdani vote is split less, and thus has a better chance of triumphing. In any case, the soon-to-be former mayor captioned the clip by saying, “Only in America. Only in New York. Thank you for making my story a reality.”
Toward the beginning of the video, Mayor Adams set up his decision to withdraw for the public good, saying, “When I was elected to serve as your mayor, I said these words, ‘this campaign was never about me.’ It was about the people of this city from every neighborhood and background who had been left behind and believed they would never catch up. This campaign was for the underserved, the marginalized, the abandoned and betrayed by government. Since then, it has been my honor to be your mayor, and I’m proud to say that we took that victory four years ago and turned it into action, making this city better for those who have been.”
Later on, after noting his administration’s alleged achievements in the fields of education and affordable housing, the mayor addressed his own corruption trial woes, saying, “Also know some remain unsure of me, after the unfortunate events surrounding my federal case, I was wrongfully charged because I fought for this city, and if I had to do it again, I would fight for New York again.”
Continuing, he noted that he is having trouble running a serious campaign and so has chosen to drop out, saying, “And yet, despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign. The constant media speculation about my future and the campaign finance board’s decision to withhold millions of dollars have undermined my ability to raise the funds needed for a serious campaign.”
Then, without naming names but with clear indications of to whom he was referring, the outgoing mayor sounded off on Mamdani, saying, “But I must also sound a warning. Extremism is growing in our politics. Our children are being radicalized to hate our city and our country. Political anger is turning into political violence, too often, insidious forces use local government to advance divisive agendas with little regard for how it hurts everyday New Yorkers.”
He added, on the same point, “Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer to destroy the very system we built together over generations. That is not change, that is chaos. Instead, I urge New Yorkers to choose leaders not by what they promised, but by what they have delivered, although this is the end of my reelection campaign.”
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Watch him here:
Commenters chimed in with messages of support and appreciation. Cernovich, for example, said, “Saving the country is a team sport, you did the right thing.” Another commenter said, “You did the right thing. Now we need to defeat Mamdani before he unleashes a violent crime wave on New York. Endorse Cuomo!”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video