In his first press conference since Trump’s inauguration, Mayor Eric Adams maintained his inscrutable stance towards the Trump administration, avoiding any critique or concern about the president’s policies over his first two weeks in office. In that time, the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) run by Silicon Valley financier, defense contractor, and Trump campaign backer Elon Musk, has brought about chaos and dysfunction at a number of federal government institutions – sending mass buyout emails to every single federal employee; accessing sensitive budget and personnel data at OPM and the Treasury, and shutting out veteran civil servants charged with its management. What’s more, seeking to shut down entire government agencies like USAID, which Musk described as “a ball of worms.” The series of actions has led to the Atlantic magazine calling DOGE’s machinations a “bureaucratic coup.”
La Voce asked if Adams was at all concerned about what is probably the illegal dismantling of key federal institutions, and whether that could have ramifications for New York given that the city depends on roughly $100 billion a year from Washington. The mayor did not have any immediate concerns, saying that he and his team will “look at what’s happening in the city” going forward before crafting any particular response.
Adams also took exception to the idea that he should have to make any kind of statement on the “coup” currently taking place at the highest levels of government. “The goal is not just to constantly respond,” he said in today’s presser. “I think one of our leaders said I’m trying to swing at every pitch.” He offered the same explanation when asked what he thought of Trump’s announcement yesterday that the United States will take over the Gaza strip, saying that he was “not going to respond to everything that higher parts of the government do.”
He did acknowledge that the Trump administration’s actions were leading to “anxiety and hysteria” around the city, but stopped short of attributing any of it to Musk, DOGE, or President Trump. “They were given a mission, they were given a job to do,” Adams said. “And every action they take we will analyze and make the right decision based on that.”
Mayor Adams is currently facing federal corruption charges for allegedly taking bribes and making good on them with official acts as mayor, as well as during his previous stint as Brooklyn borough president. In today’s presser, he refuted reporting from the New York Times indicating that his lawyer, Alex Spiro, had been negotiating with the Justice Department to have the charges against him dropped, calling it a “lie.” Spiro also represents Elon Musk in a lawsuit filed against him from the market watchdog Security and Exchange Commission.
