Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live on 710 WOR’s “The Rob Astorino Show”

November 30, 2024

Robert Astorino: We have a huge guest coming up in just a few minutes, maybe even sooner than I thought. Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City is to my right about four feet and he came in with his Mets hat. I got to ask him about that, but he is with us today and we'll have a fun conversation. 

We'll ask him about what's going on here in the city, what's going on in this country and then just more about him, that's what I want to know. You know everything about the day-to-day stuff. You see it in the Post or the Times or wherever. So you know I do want to get his perspective and, of course, I want to know more about him because obviously he's running for re-election, he is the 110th mayor of this amazing city that I, you know, being from Westchester have worked in for many years, love it and yet I walk around and I'm frustrated by some of the things I see which I know he's trying to tackle. 

I mean de Blasio left an enormous mess for this guy. I actually feel bad for him, the mess he had to inherit, but that's the job. You know I had a mess when I had to go in as Westchester County executive and you deal with it, that's what an executive does and he is the front face of New York City to the world. 

And by the way it's very crowded now because this is Christmas season so all the tourists are here. I'm walking into each one of them as they're on their little stupid TikToks making their videos and I'm walking into each one of them. But it's a magical time to be in New York City and I'm glad that the mayor has said that he would come in and– you ready? 

Mayor Eric Adams: Yes sir. 

Astorino: All right let's lift that mic up, he is here today and it's good to have you.

Mayor Adams: No great to be on with you Rob, we've chatted, you know send messages to each other and just communicated and it's just good to just have a long-handed conversation instead of being viewed through sound bites because I think we are far more complex than the way we're covered in the media. And you being a former executive, you know the complexities of running a city and so you could sort of appreciate all that we go through.

Astorino: I train myself to give answers in 20 seconds and it's not always easy you know when you're asked all this stuff, you know, you want to get stuff out in your perspective and you want to– because you're not going to get a fair shake when it's written by somebody who may not agree with you or an editorial board that hates you or the unions that are always you know biting at your ankles whatever. 

So it is important, I think radio is great because you get to talk directly to people and I thought it would be amazing to have you in here to just go over a lot that's happening in New York City. And New York City affects all of us, you know, I mean I'm in Westchester, all the surrounding Long Island wherever people work in the city they come in like tonight to either go to a play or dinner whatever. So everything that you do affects me, affects my wife, my kids, you know they're always coming into the city too. So crime is important to me and that's your background.

Mayor Adams: Yeah, no and you know I think you're correct because we're all in the same ecosystem. What happens in New York would impact not only Westchester, Long Island but, also Connecticut. We're all in this region together. 

And just to you know go back for a moment what you were saying about being reported, even the industry, the news industry has changed so much.

Astorino: Oh dramatically and not for the better. 

Mayor Adams: Right, no and we need to be candid and honest about it. I remember, I've been in public life for a long time and reporters, particularly print. Print was divided into the columnists who would give their opinions and their thoughts and then you had the everyday reporters who would report the facts. Rarely did you see their opinions in stories, you would see you know what was the fact, what happened and you know every elected is going to say, hey you could cover me better. That's just the nature of the beast.

But when you look at what this administration has done in three years and how we have recovered the city and you would scroll through the print and you would ask, are we in the same city? Where those who have their own opinions are no longer covering the facts of what we did with City of Yes, how we had 10 straight months of decreasing crime, how we turned around the economy. We have roughly 183,000 small businesses, the most we've had in the history of the city. More businesses are opening, small and normal businesses in the history of the city, 20,000 guns, illegal guns removed off the street, people back on our subway system. Do you know our subway system, robberies on our subway system is the lowest in recorded history.

Astorino: So let me give you our perspective, when I say our perspective, somebody coming into the city and obviously you hear this, I hear this. There are the facts and reality and then there's the perception, right? 

So the perception is uh-oh, we're kind of back to the bad old days in New York City, I can't walk through Central Park, I'm walking down the street and I see, I'll use the word bums or whatever, you know, and it's like, my wife and I are like, if my daughter's going into the city, we got to worry and I shouldn't have to worry. But you're saying it's a different story with the statistics, which I had to deal with too. I always said, look, we had a press conference, crime is down, whatever, they're going to fight back, but the perception and the reality isn't always the same.

Mayor Adams: Right, and I'm not a believer that the stats should rule. I believe both perception and reality, and if you go back to January 2022, when I became mayor, I was at a press conference and when I stated that we have to deal with the perception of how people feel on our subway system, I was basically hung out to dry. 

People say, what are you talking about perception, that doesn't exist. Now everybody's talking about perception and reality because they go together. And so I knew I had to put a thousand new cops on our subway system in January, when we saw the uptick in crime. And then we saw a steady decrease in 10 months in a row. So I believe strongly, I can't just give you stats. You must feel safe and there's no other way, I believe, to feel safe. 

We can't control how the bad things that happened in the city of 8.3 million people will make the front pages, but when you see that uniformed police officer on your block, when you see that uniformed police officer walking through your subway station, or you see that uniformed police officer outside that store, there's a comfort that's associated with that. And that is why we're putting 1600 new cops through the academy class. 

And that's why I'm so closely engaged with the New York City Police Department. People often say to me, you need to just let the commissioners, no matter who they are, let them do their job, leave them alone. No commissioner was elected to be the mayor. I was elected to be the mayor. And I was the one that went from locale to locale and promised the constituents that I would bring down crime. My ass is on the line, you know, if I don't do the job that I promised for. And so I am heavily engaged in all my agencies in general, but specifically the Department of Education, where we educate our children, and the New York City Police Department, where we make sure families are safe. I'm going to be engaged and continue to be engaged.

Astorino: Mayor Eric Adams with me on 710WOR. But you should be, you were a cop, you were a commanding officer, you retired a captain. So if anyone knows policing in New York City, it better be you. And you should be directly involved in the policies of the police department. 

And you have a new commissioner. So Jessica Tisch went from making sure the garbage was picked up to making sure the cops do what they're supposed to do and implement your policies. Tell us a little bit about Jessica Tisch. I don't know her. I know her family very well. But tell us about her and what her job is now.

Mayor Adams: Yes, so true. And I think, first of all, you're right about there is no other man in the history of this city, probably, that understands law enforcement the way I understand law enforcement. And that is why I could– traditionally mayors would tell police commissioners, I don't know anything about fighting crime. You go and do what you want to do. 

And sometimes that's been successful, like with Bill Bratton. And sometimes it has not been. We have been heavy handed far too often. And I knew we have to have public safety and justice. They go together. And that is something that I thought was crucial. 

And that is why I brought on Jessica Tisch. First of all, the Tisch family is one of those great families of New York City in America. Their contributions, their benevolence, how they give back in so many ways. Many people are not aware of what the family has done in the city. And I was really proud to have on my team as the commissioner of the Department of Sanitation. 

And I was communicating with her when I was running for office. She would sit down and we would have conversations. People don't know, prior to being the commissioner of the Department of Sanitation, she was the DoITT commissioner. That is what we did all of our technology, our build out of technology. She was leading that. And she was an analyst in our intelligence division. 

She was well-known for the role she played. Matter of fact, she was part of the team with the current commissioner of counterintelligence Rebecca Weiner, who's currently the first woman to head that position. And they knew each other back then. Jessica, under Bill Bratton and others, she built out our technology of the cameras you see police officers carrying, the using the cell phones on how to communicate rapidly. She had a brilliant mind on dealing with the technology and innovation in our police department. That's what I need from her right now.

Astorino: So the big wrap, and I saw it. I mean, look, we all know people who work in the NYPD, right? The suburbs are full of them. And we talked to so many cops who say, if they would let us do our job. 

And under the previous mayor, they didn't let them do their job. The cops were more handcuffed than the criminals, unfortunately, in this city. And you got a, I'll say it, a nutjob like Alvin Bragg, who is really doing a lot of damage here. So what have you done to let cops be cops?

Mayor Adams: Well, a couple of things. And I know DA Bragg takes a lot of hits. We do a lot of good things together around criminal justice and how to get bad guys off the streets. And I'm proud of the work we do together. But at the cornerstone of public safety is letting cops be cops. 

And you can't respond to tweets. You can't respond to Instagram posts. You can't respond to headlines that, when a police officer does his job correctly, you take a snap of something that happens and all of a sudden, it doesn't tell the totality of what happened. 

And I made it clear to officers. I went to roll calls. We created the unit, the CRT unit, that went after guns on our streets. 

Astorino: Plainclothes? 

Mayor Adams: Plainclothes and what we call those who are wearing the khaki pants. They call them the khaki boys because they went out and did extremely dangerous assignments. Bad guys no longer respected criminal justice in this city. When we came into office January 1, 2022, there was a total disregard. Everything from ghost plates where people were not registering their vehicles, where they were fleeing from police, they were carrying guns, rotating criminal justice system. 

And in that low morale, I had to let police officers know, not only am I a mayor that's going to have your back, I'm a mayor that walked that beat like you. I know what it is to the level of uncertainty going home to your family. And they know they can do their job. And it has been reflected in closing cases, arrests, gun removal, almost 50,000 illegal ghost cars and mopeds off our streets, transit system becoming safer. So you're seeing the results of when someone states, you do your job. I'm going to send you to the front line to fight the battle. And I'm not going to abandon you on the front line. 

And there's something else we did that many people have ignored. We paid them the darn salary that they deserve. We settled the contract that was outstanding. Pat Lynch, who I knew when I was a police officer, we sat down at the table. And I said, you have my promise. I'm going to pay the officers what they deserve. We got a 97 percent ratification of when the contract was settled. And the police officers realized, I respect the job they do. They run towards danger when others flee away. If you're doing that, we need to compensate you accordingly.

Astorino: And it's funny, when we had the police academies in Westchester that I would address, I would tell them, you do your job, you do it right, you follow the rules and procedures. I and the county will always have your back. You go rogue, you're on your own.

Mayor Adams: Without a doubt. But that's so important. Because the profession of putting a bulletproof vest on and going out in harm's way is a noble profession. No matter what people say, it's a very challenging thing to do. 

Look at the officer in Queens on Jamaica Avenue. A person pulled a gun. He didn't run away. He ran towards it. And he protected those who were in that area. And I agree with you. Anyone who tarnishes the nobility of the profession should not wear that uniform and should not stay in the department because you bring down the morale. And officers would tell you that when they have a rogue officer among their ranks, it hurts the entire agency and what they're doing.

Astorino: Absolutely. We have to take a quick break. 

[Commercial Break.]

Astorino: I'm so happy to have with me here the 110th mayor of New York City, Eric Leroy Adams. I definitely want to have some fun a little later and talk about some other things, but I want to get to some more things happening here in New York City. 

The Daniel Penny trial, I think it's going to the jury next week. This is one that is emblematic of what's going on in New York City right now, at least in the minds of some, where people can't understand why this guy who came to the rescue of others, where Jordan Neely was clearly mentally disturbed and very threatening, he is the guy now on trial because of Alvin Bragg, and Jordan Neely, obviously, it was a tragedy. But what's your thoughts on this as it goes to the jury?

Mayor Adams: We should look at that on a multifaceted approach of everything that's wrong with the system that we're facing. One, look at the photo that they used to show the victims. It seemed like it was a young, innocent child who was brutally murdered, and it gave that impression. When you look at the photo that was being used, it wanted to set up in the minds of people that we were dealing with a young, innocent child, just a Michael Jackson intimidator that was just brutally assaulted. 

Then you look at the complete failure of our mental health system, a complete failure. From the days of closing psychiatric wards and having those who needed help just turned over into the street without giving any safety net to accept them. Reach out to me all the time and say, I'm watching my child go down, or my loved one, my family, and we're going down this serious decline. What do we do? A system where you brought people into hospitals, gave them medicine for one day, and sent them back. 

The young man, in this case, was going within our system, throughout the revolving door of our system. Now, we're on the subway where we're hearing someone talking about hurting people, killing people. You have someone on that subway who was responding, doing what we should have done as a city in a state of having a mental health facility. Those passengers were afraid. I've been on the subway system. I know what it is as a police officer to wrestle or fight with someone. It is imperative that we look at the totality of this problem. I'm hoping that the jury will hear all the facts. 

Based on all the facts that's laid out, a jury of his peers will make the right decision. I don't want to prejudge that. I'm just looking at all the facts that are involved here and what we did to get to where we are and what we're seeing. That could have easily been a case where you saw three innocent people murdered on our street two weeks ago. We have to recognize we have a mental health crisis, and we're not doing enough to solve it.

Astorino: Unless you and I are going to go hit the nightclubs later, I'm going to walk after the show back to Grand Central, and I'm going to pass the Roosevelt Hotel, and I'm going to see a lot of migrants, illegal aliens, whatever. 

But this has been an issue that has perplexed you. It's clearly an issue that Trump won on. You were interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, which I thought was spot on because you have talked to your own party and said, we're going to keep losing if we don't understand that people of this country. 

You saw the numbers, how Trump did relatively well in New York City, and he got 44 percent in New York State. This is a problem that is getting worse and worse, and it's not about... I know you were asking for more money to help, which I understand you've got a responsibility, but this is about stopping them from coming in to begin with and have an orderly process for immigration.

Mayor Adams: No, without a doubt, and you said perplexed me. It angers me. It angers me. $6.4 billion, it costs our city. 

Astorino: That is crazy.

Mayor Adams: It really is. 

Astorino: So where did you come up... Did you have to bond that? Borrow it? What did you do? Move it around? 

Mayor Adams: No, we had to go into things we would have normally done. Think about what I inherited. I inherited the sunsetting of COVID dollars, outstanding union contracts, programs that were put in place using temporary dollars, but long-term programs, and then out of nowhere, I had a $6.4 billion price tag, only $200 million coming from the national government, which just totally ignored how severe this problem was. 

Then I had a dangerous, a small number who was coming, a dangerous Venezuelan gang that had total disregard for our safety. And when I talked about, hey, we need to get those who are committing these crimes out of our city after they served their time, I was getting pushback from the far left in the city who was stating that you could come from anywhere on the globe, even if you do something wrong, you have a right here to be in the city. 

I don't subscribe to that belief. I don't subscribe to that, those feelings. Listen, we are a city of immigrants. We know that. No question. The overwhelming number of people who come here, they want to work. How do you tell someone to come here, parole them into the country, and say you can't work for six months, and in some cases, up to two years? 

That is just a broken system, and that's what you heard New Yorkers and Americans say, got to fix our immigration system, got to secure our border, and those who come here should be here to help our country and not hurt our country, and that is what I'm hoping this administration would do. But this is nothing new. 

Back in 2021, I told the party, you need to be focusing on public safety. And we ran on that. Exactly. And I got elected. That's right. They ignored me. They pushed back. We lost the races. In 2020, 2022, I started saying we need to be dealing with broken class people issues. Border impacted working class people. It was ignored. And then coming into 2023, I was very clear, migrants, asylum seekers, securing our border, public safety, affordability. That's what people were talking about. No response, and we see the results of it.

Astorino: So what do you say to your Democratic colleagues, the mayor of Boston, who said that come hell or high water, she will make sure that ICE or the federal government cannot come into Boston and take a resident, any resident. So now illegal aliens are residents. 

The city of Los Angeles, which just made itself a sanctuary city, and Denver, this guy, Denver, the mayor Johnston of Denver, who said it's going to be a Tiananmen Square moment if they try to come in. I mean, so this isn't the reality. And it's it's it's setting up a very dangerous and unnecessary showdown.

Mayor Adams: And here's what I say to all. I want to speak with the the borders czar.

Astorino: He’s gonna take no crap, Tom Homan. 

Mayor Adams: And let's figure out how do we work together? How do we continue to risk tradition of allowing immigration and is done correctly? Because it was immigrants that build our Brooklyn Bridge, our Manhattan Bridge, our subway tunnels. It was immigrants during COVID who opened small businesses and second generation immigrants who worked in our hospital, our medical facilities. 

When I walked through, I saw those from different countries. We have a rich tradition that we can live up to. And Rob, this is what's really interesting. If we have places in this country that are dealing with population problems, they can't get employees in our infrastructure. Kentucky can't get backstretch workers in the racing industry, food service workers. Why not allow those you parole in? Don’t allow them to go wherever they want. Say you're going to go to the municipality where we need you and you're going to work for three years and after three years, then you can move throughout the country and start your pathway for citizenship. We can turn this crisis into an opportunity.

Astorino: Well, I think the problem with that, though, I'll push back a little bit is that it's incentivizing people to come here illegally anyway if they know they're going to be rewarded in some respect. Right. 

And I think that's what what Trump and Homan and everybody else is saying, wait, I'm so frustrated. I have to tell you a personal story. A very good friend of mine for 12 years now, he's entering the 12th year to get his sister from Italy to legally come to this country. They've been dealing and I've said I've sat with him and dealt with the paperwork and all this nonsense. 

Twelve years, he's been doing it the right way, the legal way, and it's fifty thousand dollars later and still no resolution. And he's looking at people literally walking across the border and getting rewarded. And you could imagine how happy he is about that. But I think that's the biggest issue. I don't think the vast majority of people have anything negative to say about immigrants or the people who come here. It's how they came here. And I blame more, not them. I mean, they're trying to most of them trying to escape poverty.

I blame our own government for allowing it. 

Mayor Adams: Without a doubt. And the plan I laid out to you is not a plan, absence of securing our border. I want to be very clear. It's not about just letting people into the country. It's about having a secure border, an organized way of deciding who's going to be paroled into our country. But you can't parole people into the country and then tell them for six months to a year, you must go unemployed and you must be financed by the local municipality. That is insane. That's a $6.4 billion insanity. 

Astorino: You're right. And I disagree with paroling them. But if you're going to parole them, if the government is going to say, okay, we've given you the permission to be here,  then you're right. I agree with that. 

Mayor Adams: When I speak to my business industry, when I speak to my restaurant industry, when I speak with all of the industries, they're saying, Eric, we're hurting for people. We need workers. And when you go into these various businesses, and particularly those municipalities that are dealing with population crises, so if we control the border to make sure who we're paroling in and make sure they go in where we want them to go to help the American people and economy, it turns from a loss to a win.

Astorino: Mayor Eric Adams with me, Rob Astorino here on 710WOR. And so Donald Trump, you know, I remember, I mean, the Trump derangement syndrome is already back. I don't know if you saw this video, but you got to see it on, I don't know if it was on TikTok or Facebook, whatever. 

But there's like 15 or 20 people in Milwaukee and they go to the shore of Lake Michigan and they let out primal screams because they've got Trump derangement syndrome. And by the way, there's plenty of them in New York City doing the same thing somewhere. You have to work with whoever is there.

I mean, you're the mayor of New York City, just like I didn't like Andrew Cuomo when I was county executive and he and I fought and I ran against him. He was still the governor, and I still had to work with him. So Donald Trump is going to come in and it would behoove New York City to work with the guy who loves this city and is from here, who can help you do the things like building housing, which is a big priority for him. He said that. Or stop this illegal immigration, which would help your budget and a lot of other issues.

Mayor Adams: No, without a doubt. And I made it clear from day one that we are not in a position to be warring with the president. We are working with the president. He's the incoming president. And it's really about the seal. America is the United States. We're not going to survive with the divided states. 

We have enough people outside our country that want to harm us and hurt us. And great countries don't explode, they implode. Like teams, they implode. And I'm not going to spend my energy on the next four years sitting in the corner pouting or yelling at the river in the ocean because we have a president. No. How do I provide for the city of New York? 

One thing's for sure. President Trump was not in office when we had to spend six point four billion dollars that went out of my everyday New Yorkers… that's going to have a long term impact on our city because those six point four billion dollars did not go to my seniors, did not go to much educational system. It didn't go to the places that it ought to be. 

So I'm looking forward to engaging in a real conversation in every appointee that he has. And I made it clear when I spoke with the president, I stated we need help in the city. And he says, Eric, that's the city that’s  my home. I want to help the city. And I'm looking forward to figuring out how do we do that.

Astorino: And he will, by the way, he's full of surprises and he he'll help anybody. He really will. If you're on the page with him and he wants to make New York great again. I mean, that's that's him.

Mayor Adams: I mean, and I believe that, you know, I grew up in Queens, born in Brooklyn, but grew up in Queens and South Jamaica, Queens. He he grew up up on top of Hillside Avenue, not too far from me. So look at where we are now. He's the president of the greatest country on the globe. And I'm the mayor of the greatest city on the globe. And I think there's some common denominators. Let's stop focusing on things we disagree on. 

Republicans and Democrats believe in lowering taxes on low income, working class people. So let's do that. We both agree on our cities needs to be safe and supporting our law enforcement and those that are feeding the crime. Let's focus on that. We believe we need to secure a border. Let's focus on that. 

And so let's stop looking at the small number of things we disagree on. Let's find the common denominators that we agree on, Republicans and Democrats. And when you look at it, America has spoken. So, you know, so not only did he win the electoral vote, he won the popular vote. So who are we to say we're not going to respect the will of the people? America spoke. Let's respond to what America has communicated to us. 

Astorino: You know, when I was county executive, I had a Democratic legislature for all eight years. So we had to figure out ways to get something done. And you'll love this because the biggest problems I had was from my own team. It was the Republican legislators that gave me more agita than anybody else. And I know with you, I mean, it's clearly it's a very strong Democratic council. They all think they want to be mayor or think they are mayor and they don't know their role half the time because you're the executive. Your job is to administer the city. 

Mayor Adams: Well said. And what I've learned is idealism collides with realism. I receive communications and letters from people asking that are in office asking, how did three New Yorkers get murdered by someone dealing with a severe mental health issue? I say, listen, do you have selective amnesia? 

You're not passing my legislations and allowing me to do involuntary removal. We're not giving Rikers Island the support they deserve in the correction offices where we had a critical state because many of them are no longer going to be correction office because they’re leaving. 

You can't simply govern from the sterilized environment, from your executive or legislative chambers. Your decisions are impacting what is happening on our streets. And you're seeing it over and over the revolving door of justice of too many people not willing to make those decisions that need to be made. And I am a strong believer. We need to be protected, innocent New Yorkers, and things should not happen to them like we're seeing. And I'm going to continue to stand for those working class people. 

Astorino: You mentioned Rikers. So my predecessor got scolded by the feds and I inherited a consent degree on the Westchester County Jail. The problem is with these consent degrees is once they're there, they never leave. They never leave and they become more and more powerful, whoever's overseeing it. And it's just going to be nonstop. It's like you're never going to be able to win on that.

Mayor Adams: And the taxpayer's dollars. 

Astorino: Oh, they don't care. 

Mayor Adams: And let's be honest with ourselves. Have you looked at the federal? 

Astorino: Oh, yeah, it's great. It's working great. 

Mayor Adams: So it's not like they're taking over. 

Astorino: Yeah, with a clean record. 

Mayor Adams: They're showing us by example how to run a jail or prison. Right. No, they haven't. Right in Brooklyn, the federal penitentiary in Brooklyn, federal jail in Brooklyn is one of the worst places you could be. And so now they're going to take over Rikers. Look, we've made enormous strides in the two years and 10 months that we have been at Rikers. Have an amazing commissioner that's there. 

We're bringing down violence. We're making changes. I've been on Rikers Island more than any other man in the history of the city doing firsthand inspections to make sure we're treating people with the dignity and respect. But we just passed a law that you can't use of punitive segregation, which if someone attacks a correctional officer or other inmate, 80 percent of the people who are attacked by inmates are other inmates. 

And we're told you have to leave them in the same population. And so we're making a lot of decisions that are just not realistic on how you run a jail system. So the judge makes a decision that she's going to put in the receivership. My job is to follow the rule and the law. I think it's the wrong decision to make, but I must take the hand that is dealt to me and carry out the best of my ability. 

Astorino: Yeah. You'll be in your you know what… You got term limits in the city, right? 

Mayor Adams: Yes. Yes. 

Astorino: So like six mayors from now, they'll still be dealing with this. So I want to ask you, obviously, the tough question, the personal stuff you're dealing with right now with the impending court trial. 

Forget the merits of the case. I've said on this show, by the way, I spent 10 minutes defending you and saying that, from what I can see, the things that you're accused of is pretty damn typical of what we all do. I mean, if you're not an executive moving junk off a bureaucrat's desk, you ain't doing your job because it's going to sit there forever. So my question to you more is personal. 

Like I know you and I have kind of talked about this a little bit in that I went through something very similar where de Blasio, who was caught up in all this nonsense, the former U.S. attorney, my favorite, Preet Bharara, they threw my name into his trial 30 days before my election.

And I've had that knock on the door at 6 a.m. by two FBI agents a long time ago on a watch that I had purchased, and I had the receipts, and I turned over the watch and that was the end of it. Never did they ever go further than that and yet… and yet they put my name through mud and they kept the watch. 

They seized my watch when I was never charged or never even questioned. They never gave the damn— So I know that these feds how they play and they play dirty and they're gonna they're gonna probably lump on more stuff on you. But my question to you is, everyone sees the mayor, you're Eric, and so how do you deal with this kind of stress because it was not easy for me?

Mayor Adams: Well said, and you're right, there is a professional part of us and there's a personal part of us. There's a dad who has a son who I've always told him, do what is right and he watched me throughout my career as a police officer, as a state senator, now the borough president. And I love him and he loves me. He loves me. And no American should go through what I'm going through. 

And not only what I'm going through, as I go through this, I'm starting to read other cases of people who just voiced what we have a constitutional right to do. I mean, how do you put parents on a terrorist watchlist because they're voicing their concern about what they want for their children and other government officials who stood up for something and all of a sudden, they found themselves being knocked at the door. 

No American should go through this, millions of dollars in legal defense of having to have all of these leaks constantly coming out and you're restricted on talking about the case because any smart attorney would tell you don't go into the depths of the case, but when you see what I have gone through, no American should go through this. 

This is not the country that my Uncle Joe gave his life for in Vietnam. To see what has happened in this country and just the unfairness of this process, it's hurtful, it's painful, it's traumatizing, and it's really– just my belief in God that I know I was elected to do a job I'm going to do do that job and I'm doing it every day we continue to move the city forward from the City of Yes initiative that we've just passed so many good things we're doing and I have faith in my attorneys that are going to represent me accordingly.

But what is happening in our country is really shameful and not only because it's happening to Eric Adams, but far too many other innocent Americans are going through similar. And even when you look at– you can't use the criminal justice system as a method of ensuring no one votes for who they want to represent them. That should never happen.

Astorino: You know, what bothered me more than anything when I went through that is the fact that I knew I did nothing wrong and I knew there was nothing going to happen eventually, even if they took it to trial or some nonsense like that. But that my reputation took a hit and that people who were stupid or social media or the enemies and whomever, that they were always going to use that or those who knew you well were going to look at you differently?

Mayor Adams: Without a doubt.

Astorino: That's bothersome on a personal level. 

Mayor Adams: There was a two-week period where everyone who hated my policies, hated what I stood for, hated who I am as an individual just came at me. He needs to resign. He needs to step down.

Astorino: Oh by the way, they're warming up. They're gonna come at you again.

Mayor Adams: Right. And you know, what I wanted everyday New Yorkers to see that, if you know who you are, stand firm, stand tall. We're a resilient country and a resilient city. And so I know that people are angry at me when I talk about the level of anti-Semitic actions we witness and how we have radicalized our children and of celebrating Hamas and terrorists. 

They're angry at me when I stand up and fight against Islamophobia or if I fight against for the rights of people to be who they are. So I know that there were so many people lurking just waiting for an opportunity and I had to show New Yorkers that no matter what you go through, just stand firm if you believe in yourself. That's what I believe in, you know. 

I was raised by a single mom who– it was tough for her and it was hard you know Rob I used to walk past her door some mornings and she'll be in there sobering crying unsure if she was going to be able to keep the home we lived in or provide food. But, you know what, that alarm clock went off she got up she got up never surrendered never gave up no matter how hard it was she got up she had a responsibility for these six children. And because she got up, I'm able to stand up and be the mayor of the city and I got a responsibility to keep moving the city forward in spite of the loudest who are not the majority. This is a city of working class people and I'm going to represent them.

Astorino: So you were one of those annoying squeegee men? When I would come into the city and stop on Third Avenue bridge there, you would be one of those guys?

Mayor Adams: No. I would be at A&P and I would stand out front. When somebody walked out, I'd say, miss/sir, can I help you with your bags? And those $6 I would make in a day for working those 12 hours, I'd be able to go home and mom would buy tokens so she can get to one of her three jobs. But my story is the story of everyday New Yorkers, everyday New Yorkers.

Astorino: So when did you give– were you ever a meat eater or were you always like a vegan?

Mayor Adams: No, I would eat meat. My family's from the South, Alabama, you know, my dad was a butcher and, you know, they would cut up a cow, cut up anything and eat it, right. No, it was a health scare. 

You know, I was losing my sight and I didn't realize it was because of diabetes. The doctor said I was going to lose my vision and some fingers and toes, high blood pressure, I had an ulcer. You know, I had the American Package.

Astorino: That would scare the crap out of you.

Mayor Adams: Wouldn’t it? Yeah. I think that was about six years ago. I met a doctor, Dr. Greger and Dr. Esselstyn, who told me if I change my diet, I could reverse my conditions. Three weeks after going to a whole food plant-based diet, I was able to reverse my vision loss and the nerve damage in my fingers and toes, and the ulcer went away. And so, it was never my DNA, it was my dinner. But if I feel like eating a fish or eating a steak, I would eat it.

Astorino: Now? So you'll have a big burger? 

Mayor Adams: Yeah. If I feel– It's not what you do every once in a while, it's what you do every day. You know? So I'm not one of those guys that sit in a room, you pick up a hamburger and I'm all of a sudden going to say, oh my God, look who's sitting there. No. That's not who I am. 

To each its own, but I share my journey for people who are in a horrific state of kidney failure, of losing a limb. I'd like to share, this is what I've done and if you want to do the same, at least you have options and that's all I try to do.

Astorino: I was really worried. I'm like, if we go out to dinner one night, where are we going to go? I don't want to eat plants and I've got some great places like Angeletto's, I've been there on 47th and 3rd. It's a great Italian restaurant so maybe I'll have you eat a meatball. 

Mayor Adams: I love that. 

Astorino: Dominic's on Arthur Avenue. 

Mayor Adams: I love Dominic's. 

Astorino: Charlie's great. It's a great place. I went to Sergio's in Pelham. Now if you're allowed to go out of the city, I know you are, I will take you to Sergio's in Pelham, right over the line there. You can get back quick if you have to. 

Mayor Adams: I have eaten there. Good food, great food.

Astorino: It's a great place. My wife and I went this past week with another couple and it's such a beautiful place for the holidays and like an old house and really good, good food. 

So, all right, good. Now, we got options. All right. I was really worried you were going to make me like, I don't know, lettuce.

Mayor Adams: Now, tell me something. Do you miss the business? Do you miss the game? Would you get back in?

Astorino: So I think it's like shingles. It's in there somewhere but right now it's under control and I kind of hope it stays that way because I do love TV. I do my show on Newsmax. I got to get you on Newsmax one day. You'd be good on that. 

Mayor Adams: Let's do it. 

Astorino: Of course, I love this on 710WOR. I do some business stuff, so it keeps me busy. The quick answer is in the last race when I ran for governor two years ago and I'm in a primary and I'm driving around the state, which when I was doing that in 14 against Cuomo, I enjoyed every minute of it, even if I was in God knows where New York. 

The last time, I'm on like I-90 near Syracuse and I'm like, I just want to go home. After a while, you get beaten up. The swelling just went down after all of those races and fights like you're still black and blue and you will be for a while, but what would you do? 

What would you do if not because you've been the Bronx Borough President, you've been the state senator, right, in Albany, which is a lovely place, and now mayor. What would you do?

Mayor Adams: Brooklyn borough president, but– 

Astorino: I'm sorry, did I say Bronx? 

Mayor Adams: It's all good. As I told folks when I was a police officer, there was life after policing.  And leaving policing was a great weight off my shoulders. My son said he saw the difference in me after I left. And the same here, there's life after politics.

Astorino: You just don't want it to be next November.

Mayor Adams: No, no, we're running against the odds. We're running. And I'm excited about that because I love campaigning. I love talking to people. I enjoy the race. And, you know, I have a record to run on that everything, for the most part, that I ran on, when you look at my documents and, you know, what I said I wanted to accomplish, we have accomplished that. 

And there's still more to do, but I think that when it's over, when it's sunset, I'm not like the boxer that stays in the ring, you know, far too long. 

Astorino: Mike Tyson, did you see that fight? It's a pillow fight, it was a horrible thing.

Mayor Adams: It was an insult to Mike Tyson.

Astorino: And I know you were with Mike Tyson once. He didn't bite your ear, did he?

Mayor Adams: Yes, that's when Mike Tyson got out of jail. I walked him out of jail when he got out of jail. Yes, I was a police officer at the time. 

And so I look forward to what the future holds. You know, at the end of every prayer, I say, thy will be done. 

Astorino: That's such a good outlook. 

Mayor Adams: Yep. Thy will be done. I turn on my GPS, my God positioning satellite, and he is in charge of my life. And he never said there won't be potholes, there won't be breakdowns, there won't be difficult roads you will have to be on. But he's always said, I will get you to your destination. 

Astorino: That's true.

Mayor Adams: And that's what I feel and I know. 

Astorino: It's the footprints poem.

Mayor Adams: Well said. 

Astorino: Isn't that great? So I was going to put, just to see your reaction, I was going to put a fake rat in the studio. So you really, I mean, I hate spiders. There's no question about that. I can deal with everything else, but you really hate rats.

Mayor Adams: Oh, the rats. And you know what? I don't think there is an animal or rodent or whatever that could traumatize the life of a person more than a rat. 

And so we've done a great job with former Department of Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch. People said we couldn't do it. We containerized 70 percent of our garbage in less than three years. That's an amazing accomplishment. 

We want to get these plastic bags off the streets. We want to have a cleaner New York. And so it's not only about a clean street from criminal behavior, but it's a clean street that people can walk and see the beauty of this city. This is not only this is an amazing city. This is an amazing country. 

Rob, there's no other country that has dream attached to his name. There's no German dream, French dream, Polish dream. But damn it, there's an American dream. And the dream comes alive. And I meet people every day that said I came here with three dollars in my pocket. I think about Jenifer Rajkumar who's running for comptroller. Her mother was born in a mud hut. And now she's the first Indian to be elected to state office.

Astorino: Get rid of congestion pricing. And thankfully, those restaurant sheds are coming down. I can't thank you enough for coming and spending, really the entire show. And I really appreciate it. I hope New Yorkers got to know you a little bit better. And I wish you well in all the personal stuff you're going through. And, of course, politically, I wish you well. And we'll have you back.

Mayor Adams: I look forward to it. Thanks so much. 

Astorino: All right, mayor. Thank you.