New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) welcomed Thursday the support of former Republican President Donald Trump after he was indicted for allegedly taking bribes from foreign governments — then faced almost immediate criticism.
Following Adams' indictment, Trump blamed the charges on the mayor's criticism of undocumented immigrants in the city.
"We have people that use the Justice Department, and the FBI, at levels that have never been seen before," Trump opined last week. "I wish him luck."
On Tuesday, Adams was asked if he embraced Trump's support.
"Listen, I welcome support from every American, no matter where they are and who they are," Adams told reporters. "I welcome support from every American, those who know me and know how I am, and those who are just reading up on this."
"So, every American in this great country, I welcome support from."
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Gothamist writer Brigid Bergin argued that Adams was taking a page from Trump's playbook in his defense of the bribery charges.
"Several of Adams' fellow Democrats compared the mayor's rhetoric to that of former President Donald Trump, a Republican who was also indicted — and ultimately convicted — in New York," Bergin explained Tuesday.
For his part, Adams has said the prosecution was "based on lies."
Former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn told Gothamist she believed Adams' argument that the federal government was targeting its critiques was absurd.
“They were sitting around talking about Eric Adams and whether they were annoyed at him?” said Quinn, reportedly referencing the Biden Administration. “It's just ridiculous.”
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