New York City Mayor Eric Adams criticized Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani’s progressive policy platform, calling the proposals “false promises” that he says would ultimately harm the very communities Mamdani claims to support, as reported[1] by The New York Post.
Adams, currently running for re-election as an independent on the “Safe and Affordable” line, made the remarks during an interview with Miranda Devine for the “Pod Force One” podcast.
November 11, 2021; New York, New York, USA; NYC Mayor-elect Eric Adams greets the crowds in the 102nd New York City Veterans Day Parade on November 11, 2021 in New York. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY
“I truly believe the worst thing you can do as New Yorkers are struggling is to make broken promises,” Adams said.
“I saw that as a child. My mother was raising six children. Oftentimes she would get those broken promises never to resolve the issues we were facing — and that is what [Mamdani’s] doing.”
Adams took particular aim at Mamdani’s signature proposals, including free citywide bus service, rent freezes on regulated apartments, and the creation of city-owned grocery stores in all five boroughs.
The mayor noted that the plan for free bus service would cost approximately $3 billion and argued that Mamdani’s plan to fund the service by raising income taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers was unworkable.
“[Mamdani] stated he’s going to raise income tax on the high 1% of New Yorkers, when at the same time he’s saying that billionaires should not be in our city, so he can’t raise the income taxes, so he’s making these false promises,” Adams said.
Adams also warned that the rent-freeze policy could backfire.
Zohran Mamdani at the 2025 NYC Pride March, Jun 29, 2025, NYC, NY, USA. Yannick Peterhans/NorthJersey.com
“If the cost of running a building is higher than the rent roll of the building, then you’re going to see eventually lack of repairs, lack of quality of life, and again, that is going to hurt low-income New Yorkers,” he said.
The mayor further criticized Mamdani’s push to close Rikers Island and replace it with smaller borough-based jails. Adams pointed out that the plan would not accommodate the full population of Rikers, which currently holds over 7,000 inmates.
The proposed borough facilities would only have space for around 4,000.
“Mamdani has not provided sufficient detail on how to handle the remaining inmates, only suggesting he would coordinate with district attorneys to release more individuals or place them in pretrial programs,” Adams said.
As a former NYPD captain, Adams linked the proposed closure of Rikers to the state’s controversial 2019 bail reform laws, which he said have allowed repeat offenders to cycle through the criminal justice system.
“If he empties out Rikers Island, those dangerous people are going to go back into the communities that they inflicted violence in in the first place, and they’re largely black and brown communities,” he said.
“So, the individuals he’s stating he wants to help, he’s actually hurting.”
Adams also criticized former Governor Andrew Cuomo, another candidate in the race who is running as an independent following his defeat in the Democratic primary.
“The other is running away from his records,” Adams said, referring to Cuomo. “Such as bail reform, of 15,000 of our seniors dying in nursing homes, and other issues.”
Adams also dismissed Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, a longtime radio host and founder of the Guardian Angels, saying, “When I look at the candidates that are in the race, one has no record.”
