Eric Adams rebuffed speculation that he might be exiting the New York City mayor’s race on Friday afternoon, saying that he planned to continue his struggling campaign following a day of dizzying revelations about his potential nomination as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Adams, the current mayor, announced the decision at a press conference outside Gracie Mansion, hours after The New York Times reported that the Trump administration was weighing him for the ambassadorship as a way to try to block Zohran Mamdani from being elected to lead the city.
“There’s a lot of reports that I’m in Washington on Monday. Those reports are wrong. I’m not. I will be moving throughout this city in the five boroughs that made me mayor in the first place,” Adams said. “I’m running for re-election, and I’m going to tell New Yorkers every day why I believe I should be the mayor of the city of New York in 2026.”
The press conference comes after a tumultuous week in which Adams interrupted his reelection campaign with a mysterious one-day trip to Florida, later revealed to be a meeting with President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, over a potential role that would end his campaign. Politico previously reported that he had been offered a different position at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Adams, a Democrat who is running as an independent, is polling in the single digits. If he exits the race, the other independent, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is seen as likely to benefit in his bid to upset frontrunner Mamdani, whom Trump has repeatedly criticized.
Trump said on Thursday that he didn’t want “a communist” elected as mayor, referring to Mamdani who is a member of the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, and wanted to see “two people drop out and have it be one on one.”
Earlier on Friday, Adams responded to the reports by saying he had not been offered a job but signaling that he would be open to one — even as he said he remained committed to the city.
“Serving New Yorkers as their mayor is the only job I’ve ever wanted. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made lowering crime, improving schools, building housing, and cutting costs for working families — and I remain the best person to lead this city forward,” he said in a statement. “While I will always listen if called to serve our country, no formal offers have been made. I am still running for reelection, and my full focus is on the safety and quality of life of every New Yorker.”
By the afternoon, something had changed. The result: a continued four-way race that has critics of Mamdani, including some Jews alarmed by his opposition to Israel, seeing little chance to stop the 33-year-old Assembly member’s march to City Hall.
Adams broadcasted confidence, saying, “I am running, and I’m going to beat Mamdani, and I’m going to continue the success as the city has witnessed.”
The ambassadorship would not have been Adams’ first foray into the region — or lifeline from the Trump administration. In September 2024, he was indicted for crimes including bribery and fraud, some of which revolved around him allegedly accepting over $100,000 in luxury travel benefits from Turkish business leaders and a government official.
The White House ordered the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York to drop the charges after Trump took office earlier this year, in a move thought to have come in exchange for Adams’ cooperation with potential immigration enforcement activities.
Turkish-Israeli relations have soured during the war in Gaza, with the Turkish president threatening to invade Israel in support of Palestinians in July 2024 and subsequently suspending trade in reaction to the escalating conflict.
A Saudi ambassadorship would have put Adams at the center of a high-stakes bid to galvanize Saudi-Israel relations. Trump has long campaigned for a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, as negotiations between the countries stalled after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
In July, Saudi Arabia along with the other 21 Arab League nations signed onto a declaration that condemned the attacks and called on Hamas to disarm. The country has also partnered with France in hosting a meeting at this month’s United Nations General Assembly to discuss a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
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