The mayor of one of the bluest cities in the country has indicated that he could become a Republican following President-elect Donald Trump’s landslide victory over Vice President Kamala Harris and the issues she ran on. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, garnered attention on Friday by not dismissing the possibility of rejoining the Republican Party. Accompanied by First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Adams appeared on “Mornings On 1” to celebrate a significant milestone after a narrow majority of the City Council approved his “City of Yes” housing initiative.
When questioned about whether he might “consider rejoining the GOP” in the future, Adams offered a noteworthy response. Having been a registered Republican from 1997 to 2001 before transitioning to the Democratic Party, he connected his remarks to broader themes of patriotism and public service. “The party that’s the most important for me is the American party. I’m a part of the American party. I love this country. This is the home of the free, the land of the brave,” Adams said. “My 19-year-old [uncle] died on the fields of Vietnam protecting what this city and this country represents. And that’s the party I’m going to always be a member of. And I did it as a police officer when I wore that bulletproof vest for 22 years. And I’m gonna do it with this blue suit as the mayor of the city of New York.”
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In a subsequent interview with PIX11, Adams reiterated his plans to seek reelection as a Democrat, though he left open the possibility of switching parties in the future. “We need to move away from identifying, classifying ourselves as anything other than Americans. I’m an American, and I’m going to continue to say that,” he said. “So no matter what party I’m on or vote on, I’m going to push for the American values.” He added: “I’ve been a Democrat for many years, and I’m going to run for my reelection as a Democrat. But my focus is the American people and the people of New York City,” Adams continued. “And those who don’t like it, they would cancel me. And I say, cancel me. I’m for America.”
Unlike many of his Democratic counterparts, Adams has refrained from criticizing Trump and his aggressive deportation policies. On Thursday, Adams announced that he has scheduled a meeting on December 12 with Tom Homan, the incoming border “czar” and former official of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to discuss plans for mass deportations. The mayor shared the update during an appearance on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe.’ “I want to hear the actual plan, how we are going to actually operationalize this,” Adams told co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. “We’re not talking about those who are stealing apples. We are talking about those who are shooting at police officers, raping individuals, and I would like to hear the border czar’s plan on addressing that.”