Mayor Adams: No Regret About Skipping MLK Day in NYC for Trump’s Inauguration

Mayor Eric Adams ditched Martin Luther King commemorations in New York City to make a dash to Washington D.C. in the wee hours of the morning on Jan. 20 but despite public backlash, including from some longtime supporters, he said he has no regrets.

“We had a new president, and I’ve said it before, I’m not going to be warring with the president. I’m going to be working with the president. And that’s my responsibility as the mayor,” said Adams during an in-person media availability on Jan. 21.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams who was at a Martin Luther King service at the historic Convent Ave. Baptist Church in Harlem, which was one of the events Adams was scheduled to attend on Jan. 20 blasted the mayor. “You want to work with any administration to make sure you get the best that you can for the people of New York City, so that’s an important part,” Williams said at the event, according to CBS News. “You also want to make sure, if there are policies that are going to harm the residents of New York City, that you’re building up barriers for that to happen and that’s where I think this mayor has failed miserably.”

Rebecca Lewis blasted the move on social media, calling it a “bait and switch. “After putting out a press schedule at midnight last night showing events in NYC for MLK Day, Mayor Eric Adams’ office basically did a bait and switch 8 hours later by canceling the entire sked and updating it to say he’s going to the inauguration,” she wrote on X.

Asked why he committed to MLK Day in NYC if he wasn’t going to go, Adams explained that he got the call in the early hours of the morning on inauguration day, so he and his team drove down to D.C. at 3 a.m.

To further justify going to Trump’s inauguration, Adams compared his own life to that of Dr. King’s dream. “I’m living that dream. And my desire to be in Washington to make sure I continue to move forward on that dream.” He also cited that Dr. King prioritized making right decisions over popular ones, referring again to his decision to attend inauguration despite criticism.

Rev. Al Sharpton spoke with WSNBC on Tuesday about the “political overtones” he suspects were involved in Adams’ inauguration attendance. Sharpton specifically touched on the mayor’s trip to Mar-a-Lago only three days earlier, which has ignited conversation about Adam’s intentions and whether or not they had anything to do with the five-count federal indictment he is currently facing.

Some speculated that Adams is angling for a potential pardon from Trump if he is convicted at his federal corruption trial that is slated to start in late April. He has insisted that the topic was never broached. He released a statement about the conversation he had with Trump.

“President Trump and I had a productive conversation about New York’s needs and what’s best for our city, and how the federal government can play a more helpful role in improving the lives of New Yorkers. To be clear, we did not discuss my legal case, and those who suggest the mayor of the largest city in the nation shouldn’t meet with the incoming president...care more about politics than people.”

Whether or not Adams’ indictments were discussed between the two on Friday, Trump shared publicly at a news conference last month about his willingness to pardon the mayor. So when Adams attended the inauguration three days after the release of his Mar-a-Lago statement, Sharpton shared his doubts.

“When you look at how he’s had a lot of positive things to say about Donald Trump who has been under attack by many of us, to say you’re not going to raise your eyebrows would be dishonest,” said Sharpton.

In an interview with Tucker Carlson on Jan. 22, Adams bashed former President Joe Biden for failing to provide more aid to New York City during the migrant crisis as more than 220,000 migrants descended on the city in the past two years, causing the city to spend over $7 billion giving them food and shelter. About 55,000 still remain in the city shelter system, which are limited to 30 day or 60 day stays.

“We need to spend the next four years listening to the American people. The popular vote, the electoral vote...The American people are saying we need to do something about our border.”

Adams also spoke to Carlson about how he met with Biden in the beginning of his presidency about New York City’s immigration expenses. According to Adams, he came away from the meeting essentially being told he wasn’t being a good Democrat.

With the Mayor coming forward about his frustration with the Biden administration, not attending the MLK events in NYC, his looming five-count indictment and growing rapport with Trump, there continues to be heightened speculation regarding Adams’ role in the upcoming primaries and whether he will ditch the Democratic party and run as a Republican.

“People often say, ‘Well you don’t sound like a Democrat, you seem to have left the party.’ No, the party left me, and it left working class people,” said Adams in the interview with Carlson.