Mayor Adams said Tuesday that stumping for President Biden won’t inhibit him from continuing to criticize the federal government’s handling of the migrant crisis that’s left New York City awash in asylum seekers — and suggested he’d continue speaking out if the city doesn’t get what it needs.
Adams is among several surrogates who’ve been tapped by Biden’s campaign team to sing the president’s praises during his anticipated 2024 reelection run.
And while the mayor has for the most part been publicly chummy with Biden, he’s also been consistent in his critique of the federal government’s border policy and its handling of the thousands of asylum seekers who’ve streamed into the city, mostly from Latin America.
“I dislike what they’re doing around asylum seekers,” Adams said during an unrelated press conference at City Hall. “I don’t agree with myself all the time, so I’m not gonna agree with someone else all the time. I think that he’s moving the country in the right direction.”
Other officials selected by Team Biden include Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).
Adams said he’s looking forward to the new role and inferred from his new surrogate status that Biden must approve of his handling of crime and the city’s fiscal situation, given the recently upgraded bond rating the city received.
“I’m glad he thought of New York City and what I’m doing around public safety,” Adams, a former NYPD captain, said of the president. “I know it’s hard for people to realize, but our bonding was increased because of how I’m handling the fiscal responsibilities of the city. And I think the president sees something in what I’m doing in New York, and for him to ask me to join his family, I’m happy to do it.”
