A typical Tuesday at City Hall involves Mayor Eric Adams taking questions from the media. 

But this week’s briefing was more intense for the mayor, who was hot under the collar, highly critical of the media and defensive of his administration. 

What You Need To Know

  • Mayor Eric Adams got very defensive on Tuesday amid his weekly briefing with the media 

  • At one point, Adams had a tense exchange with one reporter when asked about his legal defense fund spending. In November, Adams announced the creation of the fund to help cover legal fees associated with a federal probe into his 2021 campaign finances.

  • At the same briefing, the mayor also called for more civility when it comes to political discourse

Adams fought back when he was asked about his legal defense fund that has been reportedly spending less on lawyers.

In November, Adams announced the creation of the fund to help cover legal fees associated with a federal probe into his 2021 campaign finances. 

“First of all, your question was a stupid one. A lot of people weren’t expecting that. You were expecting that. A lot of people weren’t expecting that you were expecting that,” he said.

The federal investigation reportedly centers on whether the Adams mayoral campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal donations. The mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing. 

Adams admonished the Politico reporter who asked the question. 

“Don’t try to do what New Yorkers need and want and try to make it appear as though your opinions and your hopes and aspirations are what New Yorkers want,” he said.

Adams then fell back on a familiar refrain that he’s working hard for New Yorkers. 

“My job is to run the city and stay focused on running this city and that’s what I’m doing,” he said.

The intense moment came just minutes after the mayor called for more civility in political discourse. 

“I think all of us need to reflect on how we’re communicating and the level of civility that’s needed. We could do a better job than being more civil to each other. We’ve become a very mean city and country,” he said.

Adams was also particularly critical of the media amid the fraught political climate.

“I think everyone has a role in the climate that we are living in right now. Everyone, and that includes me. I think everyone has a role. We all need to check ourselves. Everyone,” he said.

Adams seemed to partly place the blame on the media for some of the divisiveness in the country. 

“You all know if it bleeds, it leads. We’re not going to cover, Eric, what you’ve done, bringing more jobs in the history of the city. That’s all great, but no, we want to cover this. Because we have all been sensationalized by, how many clicks can I get?” Adams said. 

“How do I make this story as horrific as possible so that we now have been desensitized and to get as many clicks as possible? We’ve all contributed to this atmosphere,” he continued.