Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live on CNN’s “The Source With Kaitlan Collins”

August 9, 2023

Kaitlan Collins: I am joined now tonight by the mayor of New York City, Mayor Eric Adams. Mayor Adams, thank you for being here.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you.

Collins: Obviously, we wanted you to come on to talk about immigration and what's happening in the city. We will get to that in just a moment, but... I mean, on this disturbing story about what we learned today, there's this raid that was being carried out. This man not only threatened President Biden, allegedly, but also Vice President Harris, the attorney general, the district attorney here in Manhattan, Alvin Bragg. Do you feel like threats to public officials have gotten worse, and what do you think is driving that?

Mayor Adams: I think it's a combination of overproliferation of guns in our country, the real mental health illnesses that we are seeing, and just social media. I've been stating this over and over again. We had a summit here in New York to see the impact of social media on our young people, but even adults. Those threats, the FBI, you have to really commend them for taking those threats seriously and carrying out a proper investigation.

Collins: Are you more nervous to be a publicly elected official today?

Mayor Adams: Well, you are always concerned. I have a great detail... NYPD, they know their job very well. We allow them to handle it and listen to what they say to do and what not to do, and we'll continue to look at the instructions that are coming from our Intel division when we get those threats and they assess them well and make sure that things are done properly.

Collins: New York City is dealing with an unprecedented influx of tens of thousands of people who are seeking asylum. You said today, you believe it's going to cost about $12 billion and to care for them over the next three years, and you said you need federal help. Do you think that you're going to get it?

Mayor Adams: Yes, I do. I believe that we have a DHS team that's on the ground here now, and there's something that our team, my deputy mayors and deputy mayor that's in charge of this initiative. We have been walking through business leaders, walking through congressional delegation to see exactly what's taking place. We were successful to keep this from spilling over onto our streets for over a year. And what you saw in front of the Roosevelt Hotel was really that it was just overwhelmed and the dam finally burst.

Collins: What you're referencing for people who don't know is just recently, I mean, the system clearly broke down. 200 migrants were sleeping outside on the sidewalk of the Roosevelt Hotel just around the corner from Grand Central Station. Who was responsible for that image, for seeing those pictures of people sleeping out on the sidewalks?

Mayor Adams: Well, I'm the mayor of the City of New York. I take responsibility for anything that happens in this city. It is my obligation to make sure that New York is safe. We received an overwhelming number of individuals. We already reached the maximum of how many people we could house. And for that period of time, we could not place people in the Roosevelt Hotel, because we still have to abide by the restrictions for occupancy, for safety, and we were able to find them temporary shelter in another location. But we cannot state that this won't happen again. We received over…

Collins: You can't say that it won't happen again?

Mayor Adams: No, we cannot. We received over 90,000 people in our city, and I've been stating for some time that we need relief. We need help. This is a national crisis and it should be handled by national resources and national policies.

Collins: So what do you say to White House officials who, they see your calls for federal help? Yes, there's a DHS team here. They're going to report back to Secretary Mayorkas, but the White House says New York has already gotten $140 million from the federal government, that's more than any other city that's not a border city. What do you say to them when they say you're getting more help than other places are?

Mayor Adams: Well, I think you started off the broadcast… The numbers are $12 billion over three years, $12 billion over three years. We already spent over $1 billion already. And to state that $100 million dollars could address a national, $12 billion problem, we're saying we need more and then we need others. We need a real decompression strategy at the border. We need to allow these migrants, asylum seekers to do that I believe is the most American thing to do, and that is to work. What is more anti-American then not being able to work?

Collins: Has the White House responded to you when you say what you want is essentially them to be able to speed up the work requirements, the work permits for them to be able to begin working, which already is shorter than they are in other periods. Has the White House said anything to you on any of that?

Mayor Adams: Well, when you say shorter in other periods, there's such a backlog of cases that the spirit and energy that within six months people would be able to get a job, that's not a reality. Some of the migrant, asylum seekers will probably have to wait anywhere from a year to a year and a half. That's a long time for New Yorkers to have to carry this burden. And that is part of the ongoing conversations we're having with the White House right now. That's the hope that we're having with DHS team here and my congressional delegation and other elected officials across the country. I take my hat off to the governor of Massachusetts who's also stating the same thing. There must be a real strategy to deal with this crisis.

Collins: You're asking the federal government to declare a state of emergency. So far they have not done so. What is your relationship with President Biden at this moment?

Mayor Adams: I think that I have a great relationship with the president. I have a great relationship with my colleagues across the entire country. And we have to separate a disagreement on a topic with, do we have a relationship? There is many issues that we are facing not only in this city, but in this country. And if there's a place that I disagree, I'm going to be honest about it.

Collins: Yeah, we've certainly seen that. I mean, have you spoken to him about these specific ask that you have?

Mayor Adams: Yes, we have.

Collins: When was the last time you guys talked?

Mayor Adams: Last year when he was here, I spoke with White House staffs and White House teams on this, and we sent the letters for three of the majors, mayors from the largest city, Houston and Los Angeles. We sent a letter to sit down and we want to speak with the president on this…

Collins: You haven't spoken to him in 2023?

Mayor Adams: No, I have not. I spoke with authorities and our team has been communicating with the White House as well.

Collins: Do you support his reelection bid?

Mayor Adams: Yes, I did. I made that clear before. I believe he's moving the country in the right direction and we need to continue to move in the right direction. And I can separate what I believe an issue that we disagree on how we are addressing it with what I believe overall is needed for this country. My number one obligation is to the people of the City of New York.

Collins: Speaking of campaigns, in early July, the Manhattan District Attorney indicted six people, including a former New York Police Department officer in this straw donor scheme that sent donations to your campaign for mayor in 2021. Neither you nor anyone in your campaign has been accused of any wrongdoing I should note, but were you aware of any of that or what's your response to those charges?

Mayor Adams: No, not aware at all. I follow one rule, follow the rules. And the district attorney's conducting his investigation. He did so, and it was clear that our campaign had no participation in that, and it's just an unfortunate situation, but I have a lot of faith in the DA's office, DA Bragg. He's going to follow this to conclusion.

Collins: So you're not worried that anyone from your team would ever be ensnared in that or have legal exposure on that?

Mayor Adams: Well, I think they did a thorough investigation and they laid out in the indictment and everything that was connected to it exactly what happened, and that thorough investigation made a determination that our team had nothing to do with it.

Collins: Okay. It's been a really challenging summer here in New York. I mean, not only what's happening with migrants, of course, the situation at the Rikers jail has gotten so bad that the federal authorities are considering taking over it. I know you disagree with that and don't believe that that's necessary. There's also a law enforcement investigation into a former member of your administration. When you look at the big picture of all of the problems that New York City is facing, do you feel that you and your administration can adequately handle those issues?

Mayor Adams: You tell me, when was the time you didn't have a lot going on in New York?

Collins: That's true.

Mayor Adams: This is New York.

Collins: All your predecessors will say, "Yeah, we had a lot on our plate as well." But you are dealing with a lot from this summer, just the last few months.

Mayor Adams: I want it. I want it. Winners want the ball when the game is on the line. They don't pass the ball. They want the last shot, the last at bat. They want to kick the field goal. Let's look at the reality. 99 percent of the jobs we lost are back pre-pandemic, decreasing crime, decreasing shootings, decreasing homicides. We are seeing our tourism is up. We have a AA bond rating in the City of New York. This is the place to be right now. I didn't run for mayor to worry about woe is me. I said, "I want to be mayor. Why not me?"

Collins: Is it more challenging than you thought it would be?

Mayor Adams: Not at all. You get up every day, you do the best you can. You give it your all. New York is no one thing about me. I'm up before everyone else and I'm going to go to bed after everyone else to make sure the city is operating right. This is the right time for me to be the mayor, but my experience in law enforcement, state senator, borough president, and not only that, I'm a mayor that has gone through a lot, and now I can help people who are going through it a lot. I want to be the mayor of the City of New York.

Collins: Well, you certainly have a lot on your plate. I do have to ask you about this bizarre report that was in the New York Times recently about a photo that you carry in your wallet and that you have spoken very publicly about. It is of Officer Robert Venable, who was killed in the line of duty in 1987, and you pulled it out after two other officers had been killed, talking about how meaningful it was. But the New York Times did a report essentially saying that that photo had been recreated, that it had not actually been carried in your wallet for decades, that it was created by staff in your office. Your office, I should note, denied the story and said it had been in your wallet for decades. Can you just clear that up? What happened with that?

Mayor Adams: I have the original newsletter that was produced by the department, of the original, the original. So why would I have to reproduce something that I had the original for? The family knew me. Robbie was a dear friend. There was a lot of anger attached to that story that I allowed a lot of discipline, not to get emotionally tied. It was wrong to do that, but there's not much I can do about that. I can't control what people want to write. No one was instructed by me to do anything with an original photo that I had, that I carried of my friend. This was a dear friend of mine, and that was a very painful moment to have it not only recreated, but to state I would do something like that to someone that I was that close to.

Collins: They said that the picture was found on Google, that it was printed in black and white and made to look worn, that someone splashed coffee on it. You're saying none of that's true?

Mayor Adams: I stated I had the original. The one that's on Google that they're talking about, I have the original. I don't know how clearer I can be. And the family was also saying, "We know Eric Adams. Eric has been with our family. It was wrong to do."

Collins: Yeah. His daughter, Januari, came out and spoke about that after.

Mayor Adams: And his other relatives as well.

Collins: Eric Adams, thank you for being here tonight. Thank you for answering our questions. And of course, if you do hear from President Biden on what is the biggest issue that you're facing right now, please let us know. 

Mayor Adams: Will do. 

Collins: Thank you so much for joining us in the studio tonight.

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