Kamala Harris’ name is on just about everybody’s lips now — except, apparently, Mayor Eric Adams’.
The day before the presidential election, Mayor Adams on Monday refused to say the vice president and Democratic presidential nominee’s name, claiming he did not want to come across as electioneering for her while on city business.
During his weekly off-topic press conference on Nov. 4, Hizzoner continued a recent trend of not using Harris’ name when answering questions about her presidential campaign. Although Adams endorsed Harris during the summer, after she took over the Democratic ticket from President Joe Biden, he has not actively campaigned for the vice president or vocalized his support for her.
In recent weeks, as rumors that Adams is trying to appeal to Harris’ rival — Republican former President Donald Trump — have spread, he has noticeably not referred to the vice president by name when invoking her.
When asked about that decision on Tuesday, Adams said he is simply following the advice of his legal team not to appear as if he is electioneering during events in his official capacity as mayor.
“I have to be extremely careful; everything I do is critiqued highly, and I have to be careful, and if I’m doing electioneering here at this podium, you’re gonna write a story about it,” Adams told reporters. “My legal team said, ‘Eric, this is what you can do and what you can’t do,’ and I have to make sure I do it correctly. So you’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t.”
Adams appeared to be referencing advice from his former chief counsel, Lisa Zornberg. In August, he told reporters that the mayor would no longer answer political questions during his weekly news conferences in City Hall.
At the time, Zornberg contended that addressing political questions in that forum raised a conflict for the mayor under city Conflicts of Interest Board rules.
Mayor Adams added on Monday that he endorsed Harris and went to the Democratic National Convention as a delegate in August after voting on her nomination. He said he does not know “how much more enthusiasm” he could provide for her campaign.
Besides his attendance at the DNC, the mayor declined to say what, if any, other political work he has done on behalf of Harris’ campaign.
Additionally, after not making clear who he plans to vote for last week, Adams repeated that he endorsed Harris and “who I endorsed is who I’m voting for.”
Adams’ responses come as speculation continues to swirl over whether he is trying to stay on Trump’s good side in case the former president ekes out a victory on Tuesday.
According to a report by the New York Post, the mayor’s legal team believes a Trump victory could be his best chance of getting out of legal trouble in the wake of his federal corruption indictment. That is because Trump, during his time as president, pardoned public officials and celebrities he believed were wronged by the justice system.
His lawyers reportedly hope that if Trump wins, he will either dismiss the criminal charges brought by Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams — or pardon Adams if he is found guilty.
Adams may fall into that category, as has refused to criticize Trump for months and recently said he does not believe Trump is a fascist — a clear break from many other prominent Democrats who have used the term to describe him.
In the wake of Adams’ reluctance to go after Trump, the former president has publicly expressed support for him in the wake of his indictment.
