Eric Adams has long professed his innocence of the federal corruption charges levied against him. He also has a major rhetorical tendency toward the grandiose. So perhaps it wasn’t surprising when the mayor invoked Jesus Christ on Tuesday as a comparison for his current plight.
Adams was speaking at a Gracie Mansion reception alongside other administration officials commemorating Black History Month. During his remarks, the mayor told a story from his policing days about pulling over to assist civilians with a stalled car in the pouring rain, using it as a metaphor to advise the crowd to use their own personal light well.
Then Adams turned to his unsettled legal situation, calling out those who have pushed for the mayor to resign from office. “So, this is a biblical moment,” he said. “You know, when Jesus was on the cross, he said, ‘God, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ All these Negroes who were asking me to step down, God, forgive them,” he said, to applause and shouts from the crowd.
Adams then ran down a list of his administration’s accomplishments, claiming a record amount of new and affordable housing being built as well as an increase in job creation and tens of thousands of guns off the city’s streets. “What we have done, you have to be stupid to try to stop me from running this race. It’s a level of buffoonery that’s going on that’s spreading as fast as COVID,” he said.
Adams was questioned about his comments during an appearance on FOX 5 New York’s Good Day New York. Anchor Curt Menefee pressed Adams on his use of the word “Negroes,” noting that some people have an issue with that term being used.
“Are you implying if you’re Black, you have to support you?” Menefee asked.
“No, not at all. I’m asking for all New Yorkers to support me,” Adams said.
Menefee asked the mayor whom he was specifically referring to during his comments.
“Well, who has asked me to step down? If you look at that whole speech, the speech talked about the continuation of lighting your flame and continuing to light and shine. And that’s what we’ve done in this administration with our team,” Adams said. “So, those who have called for me to allow my flame to be prematurely extinguished, that’s who I’m talking about.”
Adams said that the people of New York City selected him to be their mayor and that nothing he has done has warranted his resignation or removal. “I have not been convicted of a crime. I’ve moved the city forward. I’ve done the job that New Yorkers asked me to do,” he said. “And so, when you have those that are trying to usurp the power of the people, that is not democracy, and God forgive them.”
