President Trump dangles Mayor Adams a legal lifeline made of red tape

Feb. 13, 2025, 12:06 p.m.

The mayor is left in a difficult position, where voters’ interests are at odds with a potential solution to his legal troubles.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams against a blue background

This column originally appeared in The Politics Brief, our new weekly newsletter on the people, power and policies that shape New Yorkers' lives .

Sign up to get the full version where you can ask questions, share news tips and weigh in on the conversation. Hits inboxes on Wednesdays.

Along with all the responsibilities that come with being president, Donald Trump can add consulting mayor to the list.

A letter from the Department of Justice told federal prosecutors to drop Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption case on Monday, arguing he needs space to focus on supporting Trump’s immigration agenda. Though the memo doesn’t specify how, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan gave a hint on WABC radio on Tuesday evening.

“I’m coming up there Thursday to meet with the mayor,” Homan said, expressing hopes that “his officers can help my officers” in deportation operations.

“Either he comes to the table or we go around him,” Homan said.

Raising the stakes for Adams is the fact that the DOJ’s letter issued no judgment on the merits of the mayor’s case. The federal agency said prosecutors should review the matter after New York City’s mayoral election in November. That means Trump can hold the threat of prosecution over Adams if he doesn’t play ball, not only on immigration, but also on any number of issues facing the president’s hometown.

And if Adams loses the November election – or the June primary before it – he’ll be of little use to Trump or his agenda.

The reality puts Adams in a difficult position: Many voters’ interests are at odds with a potential solution to his legal troubles. Trump remains unpopular throughout New York City despite his gains in November, and Adams’ challengers are lining up to present the race as a referendum on the mayor's relationship with the president. Advocates for New York’s immigrant communities, meanwhile, have expressed frustration that the mayor is selling them out.

When dozens of immigrants and their advocates rallied in Albany on Tuesday to push lawmakers and the governor to expand state-level protections for undocumented people, Adams’ name was often on the tips of their tongues.

“ It's been very clear that [Adams has] been cozying up to the Trump administration to save his own ass,” Assemblymember Karines Reyes (D-Bronx) told Gothamist at the rally. “That's not the job of the mayor. The mayor of New York City's job is to protect New Yorkers, and we don't feel protected.”

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro denied that the Trump administration would be able to use the case to influence the mayor’s decision-making.

Even before Trump was re-elected, Adams signaled increasing openness to rolling back New York City’s sanctuary laws – a key desire of the Trump administration – though he lacks the unilateral power to do so. The city’s flurry of guidance on interacting with immigration enforcement has often left it unclear what, if anything, is changing.

The mayor has celebrated the DOJ order as though it is a definitive end to his charges. But that isn’t the case, and if his overtures to Trump cost him the election, he may be in trouble again sooner than he’s suggesting.

Listen here:

We want to hear from you

This week we're wondering: If prosecutors drop the charges against Adams, would that change your vote in the mayoral race? Let us know in this form. We'll share the poll results and selected responses in next week's newsletter. (Sign up here.)

This week in New York politics

Mayor Adams says corruption case is over, but Justice memo holds no guarantees With a path out of indictment, Mayor Adams faces a reelection focused on Trump Some of Mayor Adams' voters say he's lost their support — but not because of his legal woes