Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams Holds Virtual Media Briefing to Discuss Trip to Qatar

December 3, 2022

Fabien Levy: Hi, everybody. This is Fabien Levy. Thanks so much for joining today's call. We have Mayor Adams joining us from Qatar to discuss his trip over the last day and a half or so. We'll take some questions after he gives some opening remarks. If you have a question, please utilize the raise hand feature. Again, in order to ask a question, the only way to ask a question is to utilize the raise hand feature. So Mayor Adams, go ahead.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thanks so much and just a reminder, Fabien, raise hand, not [inaudible]. Raise hand.

It's good talking to all of you from Qatar. Just finished watching the U.S. match. Really want to take my hat off to the energy of the players. Four of the players are from the New York area. It was just an amazing, amazing level of energy, and it gave us a good opportunity to do a firsthand look of all that it takes to run these games. There's a lot that goes on off of the pitch, and it's true that we are prepared in 2026 when we host here, the infrastructure, the security, the accommodations, and just the volume of people. We just wanted to really get a firsthand look.

In addition to that, moving around this country, looking at some of the infrastructure, some of the things they're doing around development and understanding some of the new technologies, it was a useful moment for being here. But again, we want to take our hats off to the American team. As they always say, there's always the next World Cup to participate in.

If there are any questions before I take my flight heading back to New York, I'm open to answer at this time.

Levy: Thank you, mayor. Again, if you have a question, please utilize the raise hand feature. Our first question will be with Joe Anuta from Politico. Joe, give me one second to unmute.

Question: Hi, Mr. Mayor. How are you doing?

Mayor Adams: Quite well, and yourself?

Question: Yeah, not too bad. I just had a few quick questions for you. I was wondering if anything you observed you felt had particular significance to hosting the games in New York. Was there one lesson you felt was really applicable to New York? When you were going around seeing this, the developments, did you pick up any inkling of some of the criticism of the government about how they have built some of these stadiums with the migrant labor? My last question is, did you meet with anyone who weren't on the schedule? If so, what'd you talk about?

Mayor Adams: First, the thing that I learned, we're good at moving volumes of people. It is going to be crucial to move the volume of people in a very orderly fashion and how much we have a real jewel in our transit system. That's why it's imperative to have a real safe and reliable system. Because of their usage of the new system that they've built here allowed them to take vehicles off the road. We must also just make it easy, have a lot of volunteers to help in moving people through the transit system to get to the Giants Stadium. Having express bus routes, movement of people is crucial. That's one takeaway, having real fan fest location with fans can let off some steam after the game in a well-organized way, they did an excellent job of doing that. It was really impressive.

Meeting people that was not on my schedule, there are so many people. I mean this is new. I'm the mayor of New York City. It always amazes me throughout the time I was here, people say there's America and then there's New York. Everyone that heard I was in the building around, not because it's Eric Adams, it's just the mayor of New York City, every day there was people stopping in, wanted to see, wanted to talk, really excited about New York City. And so there are a ton of people that were not on my schedule that I met just walking down the block or that just popped into an event that I'm at and sat down and said, "Hey, you know what? We heard you were here. We want to talk to you." So I can't even begin to give you a list of people that were not on my schedule that I met with because they heard I was here and I was the mayor of New York City.

I did not see any of the issues that people were complaining about. You know me, I interact and engage and have conversations with everyone, from the cleaners to the ticket holders. Everyone seemed to have been, one, happy to be a part of this experience, two, the opportunities of employment that came with the operation, and the feeling of how safe it was here of really walking the streets late at night or enjoying all the opportunities without any feeling of violence or any feeling of danger.

Levy: Thank you, mayor. Again, if you want to ask a question, please utilize the raise hand feature. Our next question is from Emma Fitzsimmons from The New York Times.

Question: Hi mayor, can you hear me?

Mayor Adams: Yes, I can, Emma. How are you?

Question: Hi, I'm good. Two questions. My first is, there was a photo posted on Twitter of you with the leader of Qatar, his name, the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. What did you two talk about? Then we know you love nightlife. Did you go to any clubs or parties last night?

Mayor Adams: First the sheikh. You know me, I don't go into private conversations that I have with people. I shared my thoughts on a number of things, and I'm not going to go into the detail of those conversations. I was at the game. He became aware that I was there, and he walked by and stopped to say hello and good luck for 2026 when we host the event. So it was not one of those scheduled meetings. It wasn't a meeting that I was planning on having. I think he showed the level as a host and the head of the country.

Again, I cannot say it enough, it just amazes me when people hear New York, from ambassadors to heads of other countries, their desire just to say, "You're the mayor of New York. We want to give the city the respect that it deserves."

The day life, nightlife, everything is alive here right now. One of the biggest enjoyments, again, are the fan fests. They are locations that are designated for the various teams that are playing where the fans can go and enjoy themselves. This city has really grown a lot, with many fabulous restaurants and locations where you can go and enjoy even after the game, and I took full advantage of that as well.

Levy: Great. Thank you, mayor. We don't seem to have any other hands raised, so thank you all for joining us today. Thank you, mayor, and have a safe flight back.

Mayor Adams: Okay. Thank you. Take care.

###