NYC Mayor Eric Adams once called himself the ‘future of the Democratic Party.’ What went wrong?

New York City’s Adams Era Closes with Unfulfilled Promise and Controversy

Four years ago, New York City Mayor Eric Adams swept into office with swaggering confidence, pledging to lead a government unlike any other in history and declaring himself the “future of the Democratic Party.”

On the first promise, the mayor more than delivered. But as his tumultuous term comes to an end, Adams, 65, finds himself in the political wilderness, his one-time aspirations as a party leader now a distant memory.

Instead, he has spent his final weeks in power traveling globally, publicly contemplating his next private sector job and lashing out at the “haters” and “naysayers” whom he accuses of overlooking his accomplishments.

For many supporters, the Adams era represents a missed opportunity. Only the second Black mayor in city history, he helped steer New York out of the COVID-19 pandemic, often linking the city’s comeback to his own rise from humble roots in working-class Queens.

At a moment when Democrats nationwide struggled to address voter concerns about public safety, Adams drew national attention for a “radically practical” agenda focused on reducing crime and revitalizing the economy.

While most crime categories eventually returned to pre-pandemic levels during his tenure, Adams will likely be remembered for a less enviable distinction: becoming the only New York City mayor of the modern era to be indicted while in office.

“That’s a disappointment for voters, especially for Black voters, who had high expectations and aspirations,” said Basil Smikle, a political strategist who served as executive director of the state’s Democratic Party. “He entered with a lot of political capital, and that was squandered, in part because of his own hubris.”

Equally memorable were the strange subplots that defined his administration: his public hatred of rats, self-professed fear of ghosts, controversies about his residence, diet, and childhood claims. Adams became known for an endless supply of catchphrases and head-scratching stories that transformed routine government events into viral moments.

“So many mayors want to be filtered, they want to pretend who they are and act like they are perfect,” Adams said during a recent farewell speech at City Hall, which concluded with him burying a time capsule of his achievements beneath a Manhattan sidewalk. “I am not.”

Adams took office in January 2022 amid a COVID-19 spike claiming hundreds of New York lives daily, coupled with troubling increases in violent crime and unemployment. As a former police captain, he increased street and subway patrols, reinstated a controversial anti-crime unit, and appointed the department’s first female commissioner.

He also raised eyebrows by installing many former police department allies, including some ex-officials with histories of alleged misconduct, into high-ranking positions.

While encouraging New Yorkers to return to pre-pandemic life, Adams led by example, frequently visiting private clubs and upscale restaurants to “test the product” and “bring swagger back” to the city, as he put it.

“There was a tension between swagger and seriousness,” said Hank Sheinkopf, a longtime Democratic consultant and Adams supporter. “New Yorkers wanted to see more seriousness. They didn’t want to see him out partying at some club they couldn’t afford to go into.”

Questions mounted about who was funding the mayor’s lifestyle, including meals, private club memberships, and frequent travel. When reporters tracked his nighttime activities, they discovered that Adams, who had long claimed to be vegan, regularly ordered fish dishes, prompting him to acknowledge that he ate fish and occasionally “nibbled” on chicken, describing himself as “perfectly imperfect.”

The corruption investigation into Adams’ campaign, which began quietly early in his term, became public in fall 2023 when federal agents seized the mayor’s phones. It overshadowed his administration for nearly a year as he simultaneously faced the challenge of a migrant surge.

On September 26, 2024, federal prosecutors charged Adams with fraud and bribery, alleging he allowed Turkish officials and businesspeople to purchase his influence through illegal campaign contributions and discounted overseas trips.

Investigators also seized phones from the police commissioner, schools chancellor, and multiple deputy mayors. Though all denied wrongdoing, a mass exodus of leadership followed, raising questions about the mayor’s ability to govern.

Adams claimed, without evidence, that he was politically targeted by the Biden administration for criticizing its immigration policy. His frequent mantra—”stay focused, no distractions, and grind”—lost credibility amid mounting scandals.

These included a chief adviser indicted by state prosecutors in a separate alleged bribery scheme, another longtime adviser forced to resign after handing a reporter a chip bag filled with cash, and numerous corruption allegations within the police department, many involving the mayor’s appointees.

“There was one City Hall made up of dedicated and competent leaders focused on executing his priorities,” said Sheena Wright, Adams’ former first deputy mayor. “There was another City Hall made up of people who knew the mayor for a long time, and who were allowed to operate outside the norms of government.”

With plummeting approval ratings and legal troubles, Adams began aligning himself with President Donald Trump, avoiding criticism of the Republican and suggesting he might switch parties. Weeks after Trump took office, the Justice Department dismissed the corruption case, citing interference with Adams’ ability to support the president’s immigration agenda.

Evan Thies, one of Adams’ closest advisers, described the dismissal as “a nuclear bomb” that sealed the mayor’s fate. The perception worsened days later when Adams appeared on Fox & Friends alongside Trump’s border czar, who made controversial comments about the mayor’s compliance with federal immigration policies.

“It seemed to confirm the belief that he had traded his duty to New Yorkers for his personal freedom,” Thies said. “It wasn’t true, but that was the perception.”

Though Adams denied making any deal with the Trump administration, his approval ratings reached record lows. In September, he abandoned his re-election campaign, throwing support behind former Governor Andrew Cuomo, whom he had previously called “a snake and a liar.”

As December draws to a close, Adams’ post-mayoral plans remain uncertain. “I did what I had to do, I left everything I had on the ice, and I’m looking forward to the next step of my journey,” he said during his City Hall farewell.

Then, for the third time in as many months, Adams departed on an international trip—this time to Mexico—leaving behind a complex legacy of unfulfilled promise and controversy.