Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams Delivers Remarks at Rally Supporting New York City’s Bid to Host 2024 DNC

March 18, 2023

Watch the video here at https://www.youtube.com/live/uUlW-WDBlUU?feature=share

Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union: Good morning everybody.

Audience: Good morning.

Appelbaum: How wonderful it is to be here today. But in fact, how wonderful it is any day you are in New York City.

Audience: Yeah.

Appelbaum: New York City is where union workers make the magic happen.

Audience: Yeah.

Appelbaum: This is a proud union town.

Audience: Yes it is.

Appelbaum: And I guess I should introduce myself as well. I'm Stuart Appelbaum. I'm the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and I'm the chair of the Democratic National Committee's Labor Council, and that's why I think it is so important for the convention, the Democratic National Convention, to be held in this city. Because when you do business here, you support good union jobs. And that's not all. I may be biased, but New York is the center of the world. People want to be here and people who aren't here want to know what we are doing. We have their attention and we know how to put on a show. And if I was going to hold an event where I wanted the most attention possible, I can think of no better place than New York City.

We've got it all. The world comes here to play and to shop and to be entertained and to do business. We're one of the most diverse cities anywhere, a place proud of our diversity. No matter who you are, you can see yourself reflected in New York City. Every culture and language and belief and identity is welcomed and celebrated here. We are America and we are the world, and we got it all. The hotels, the union hotels for every budget. The restaurants for every shape. The shops for every shopper. And you can do it all union. If you want it, we've got it. We're used to having millions of tourists every year. We've got the public transport to get people around and five boroughs packed with restaurants, museums, theaters, shops and sites to give people a million reasons to get around. And did I mention, all the while supporting good union jobs. So Democratic Party, it's hard to imagine how you could possibly do better or where you'd find a more open armed reception. We're here to make it happen and we will make sure the world is paying attention.

It gives me such an honor to be with so many amazing people today, amazing leaders, amazing union members. What we're going to do now is to hear from some of the people who could tell you why it would be crazy not to bring the Democratic Convention to the greatest city in the world. And I have to tell you, the first person we're going to hear from is one of the reasons I'm proud to be a New Yorker. He's my congressman and he's one of the finest congress people New York has ever sent to Washington, D.C., and that's Congressman Jerry Nadler.

Congressman Jerry Nadler: Thank you very much, Stuart. I think after that I should stop. But we all want the convention to be right here in my district. And Stuart has said it all. What other city has all the hotels, the shops, the restaurants, the museums, the Broadway theater? None. What other city has the depth of union penetration, and therefore, of good jobs? None. What other city votes for Democrats in its highest proportion? None. What other city can possibly put on a convention the way we can and will? None. And what other country is the center of media attention from all over the world? None.

And so for the Democratic Party, if you want to support unions, you want to support the country in all its best ways, if you want to support everything the Democratic Party stands for, in a very convenient location where there's great, everything I said, plus transit and accessibility, there is no other place than New York. And New York, because we have the media, the Democratic Convention will get media wherever it goes, but in New York, it'll get more media. And Democratic Conventions in New York have sent winning candidates to the White House. That's what we want to do. The Democratic National Committee, if it wants to maximize the odds of winning, and to support what we profess to support, namely union jobs and organization, it has to be New York. There's nothing else I can say, but New York must host the convention and the Democrats need to be in New York.

Appelbaum: Thank you, Congressman. And now we're going to turn to Albany, New York, because the whole state wants the convention here, and that includes assembly members from New York who go to Albany and make sure that the state is in tune with what we're singing today. And so it gives me a lot of pleasure to introduce one of the newest assembly members from New York City, the first Indian American to be elected to the assembly in New York, our friend Jenifer Rajkumar. 

New York Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar: Good morning America.

Audience: Good morning.

Assembly Member Rajkumar: Are the HTC workers here? Is 32BJ here?

Audience:  Yes.

Assembly Member Rajkumar: Is CWA here?

Audience: Yeah.

Assembly Member Rajkumar: Well, we want the whole world to come here too. I am so happy to be here this morning in Times Square, the center of the world. And we are here to say everybody is welcome here. And not many people know this, but New York City at the very beginning of America, New York City was the capital of our nation. So when it comes time for us to remember what our real values are, that means coming here to New York City. And it's just like what the Statue of Liberty says, “Give me your poor, your tired, your hungry, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” We are the city of inclusivity. We are open-minded and everybody is welcome here. So we need to make sure that the Democratic Convention is right here, the nation's first capital, New York City, the center of the world. I look forward to all of America joining us soon. Thank you so much.

Appelbaum: I also have to ask, is the RWDSU here?

Audience: Yeah.

Appelbaum: Great. We're talking about electing and reelecting a president of the United States, but Manhattan has its own president already, and that's our borough president. That's the outstanding Mark Levine.

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Hey, Mr. Mayor, is that a good job being borough president? You're darn right it is, you're darn right it is. Let's review everybody. Is RWDSU in the house?

Audience: Yeah.

Borough President Levine: Is labor in the house?

Audience: Yes.

Borough President Levine: Are elected officials in the house?

Audience: Yes.

Borough President Levine:  That was a very, very lame shout out from those elected. That's all right. You are on the island at the center of the universe. You are in the city at the center of the world. And if you're not here, you want to be here. We know we got some competition to host the DNC. We're not afraid to talk about that. 

So let me make it clear. If you want to go out to dinner at Cracker Barrel, you can go to one of the other host cities. If you want to enjoy the best restaurants on earth, you come to New York City. If you want to go shopping at Walmart, you go to one of the other host cities. If you want to shop at amazing small businesses and unionized department stores, you come to New York City. If you want to be in bed by 10:00 a.m., you can go to one of the other cities. But if you want the best nightlife in the world, Mr. Mayor, you got to be in New York. If you enjoy being stuck in traffic, you go to one of the other cities. But if you want the biggest mass transit city in America, you come to New York. If you want to stay in a hotel with unionized workers, you come to New York. 

We are the city where dreams are made. We are the city where everyone can be who they are. We are the city where the history of this country has been defined. We are the future of the city. We are the future of the Democratic Party. DNC, you want to be in New York. Let's make this happen.

Audience: Yeah.

Appelbaum: I see all these visitors listening in. What do you guys feel of New York? Are you glad to be here? Should the Democratic Convention come here? Yes. Being mayor of New York City may be the second hardest job there is. Sometimes I think it's the hardest job there is. But without a doubt, we have the best mayor in this country. Eric Adams brings an energy and a sense of mission to everything he does. He loves the city, he gets the city, he's proud of what makes New York special and unique and it shows. This city is forever moving forward. We are the place that sets the standard. We are the crossroads of the world. And making sure we continue moving ever forward is a guy who truly gets what makes the city great. Someone who's not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get things done. And someone who always makes it look good. Our great mayor, the mayor of New York City, Mayor Eric Adams. 

Mayor Eric Adams: Come on, my colleagues in the city, my colleagues in Albany, my colleagues in Congress. Come on and just show on how big this is, this amazing, amazing city. A city where dreams are made, dreams are forged, a city that really represents the heart and soul of this great country. Back in 1992, we held a convention here and we elected an amazing president that took us during difficult times and forged us ahead and assured that we understood that America was a place where dreams were made. That is what New York is to this country. It's a place that the only city in America where the Statue of Liberty sits in this harbor that's representative of what this country is. Nowhere else on the globe is a country that has dream attached to its name.

Only America has the word American dream. We are the only one that dream is attached to its name, and that dream is lived out in New York City. When you bring the convention here, you are going to send a message across America and across the globe. We have the dream here. That's our product. The product of New York City is that we say you bring your culture, you bring your lifestyle, you bring your vision, and you add it to the American dream. And that's the combination that makes us great. So here's my question to everyone. What is the most vibrant and exciting city in America? Let me hear you.

Audience: New York.

Mayor Adams: What is the biggest stage in America?

Audience: New York.

Mayor Adams:  What is the safest big city in America?

Audience: New York.

Mayor Adams: Who is the most diverse city in America?

Audience: New York.

Mayor Adams: Where are the best hotels in America?

Audience: New York.

Mayor Adams: Who has the biggest convention centers in America?

Audience: New York.

Mayor Adams: Who supports unions the most in America?

Audience: New York.

Mayor Adams: Where is the birthplace for women's rights and a woman's right to choose her bodies?

Audience: New York.

Mayor Adams: Where is the proudest LGBTQ+ community represented?

Audience: New York.

Mayor Adams: So let them hear it in D.C., let them hear it in all the other cities. Where is the best place to have the DNC?

Audience: New York.

Mayor Adams: New York. New York, New York. It is so nice, they named it twice. New York, New York. New York, New York. New York, New York. New York, New York. New York. They come from all over. Nowhere do you see lights like this. Nowhere do you see the inspiration of forging ahead. Nowhere that you see the city come alive and inspire the country. Even when we went through devastating attacks in 2001. Nowhere did you see the recovery of COVID than how we recovered here. Nowhere do you see the economy revitalization the way we move forward. There's something special about the city and the DNC holding this convention here was sending a message that there's something special about America. Clearly we can hold the top event right here in this city. I'm excited about the convention coming here to New York City. This is our opportunity on the biggest stage on the globe to highlight those things that are important as we move forward in the years to come. Let's bring the DNC to the biggest stage in America. And that place is called New York City. Bring it home.

Audience: [Cheering]. 

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