New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani called reporting Wednesday that the White House is considering administration jobs for Mayor Eric Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa an “affront to our democracy.”
The New York Times reported Wednesday that advisers to President Donald Trump have discussed giving incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent, a position in the administration to clear the field and set up a head-to-head race between Mamdani and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani and is now running as an independent. The talks have also involved Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, the Times reported.
In mid-July after the Democratic primary, Trump told reporters that Cuomo should remain in the race.
“I think he should stay. I think he has a shot,” he said. “He’s going to run a tough campaign.”
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani attends a press conference in New York City, Sept. 2, 2025.
Jeenah Moon/Reuters
In August, asked if he had spoke to Cuomo about his New York city mayoral run, Trump said, “I haven’t, no, I haven’t.”
Mamdani said Wednesday of the Times report, “Today, we have learned what New Yorkers have long suspected — that Andrew Cuomo is Donald Trump’s choice to be the next mayor of this city.”
He continued: “Today’s news that the White House is considering job offers for Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa, it is not news that carries meaning because of any impact it will have on this race. We feel just as confident as we did yesterday that we will win this race in November.”
This is, however, about an affront to our democracy, an affront to what makes so many of us proud to be Americans, that we choose our own leaders, not that they get to pick themselves, not that they get to be picked by the president of the United States, the same president who detained a 6-year-old girl from a New York City public school system and took her hundreds of miles away, the same president that cut SNAP benefits from the hungry across these five boroughs … the same president who will throw millions of New Yorkers off their health insurance, is now seeking to undermine the very fabric of this city.”
An emotional Mamdani then stressed that New York “is not for sale.”
“That is what this news has revealed to us today, and that is what this campaign is fighting — not simply any other candidate that will be on the ballot, but the notion that New York City is for sale. We know that this city will decide its own future, and we know that it is New Yorkers that we will turn to make that decision in November, not the White House in Washington, D.C.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams arrives to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony at his Queens campaign office in Queens, New York, Aug. 14, 2025.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Adams’ campaign denied that he has spoken with Trump and said he was not offered or asked for a role in Trump’s administration.
“Mayor Adams has made it clear he will not respond to every rumor that comes up,” campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro said in a statement to ABC News. “Mayor Adams has not met with Donald Trump — don’t believe the noise,” campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro said in a statement to ABC News. “He is not dropping out of the race. The Mayor is fully committed to winning this election, with millions of New Yorkers preparing to cast their votes. His record is clear: crime is down, jobs are up, and he has consistently stood up for working families. Mayor Adams is focused on building on that progress and earning four more years to continue delivering for the people of New York.”
Sliwa said in a statement to ABC News that the White House had not contacted him, adding that he is focused on New York.
“I’m the only candidate on a major party line who can defeat Mamdani, and I’m committed to carrying this fight through to Election Day,” he said.
ABC News has reached out to Cuomo’s campaign for its reaction.
The White House has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment.
New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa campaigns in the New York City subway system, Aug. 18, 2025.
Richard Drew/AP
Mamdani was asked Wednesday by a reporter if he was angry. He said he was, pointing to “backroom deals” that alienate New Yorkers, and his winning margins over Cuomo could have encouraged Trump to get involved.
“I am angry. I’m angry because so often we think of this solely in terms of the dynamics of politics. But the reason that so many New Yorkers are fed up with politics as they know it is because of news like this, backroom deals, corrupt agreements, all of which serve to increase the sense of disaffection and despair as it pertains to how people feel about politics across this country, and to know that having defeated Andrew Cuomo by 13 points, having won the votes of close to 600,000 New Yorkers, has only been understood by that former government as an invitation to collaborate with Donald Trump,” Mamdani added.
Asked what his message is directly for Eric Adams, Mamdani said he doesn’t think any mayoral candidate should be considering taking deals with the administration.
“I don’t think anyone seeking to represent the people of this city should be taking a job with the administration that is making it harder for the people of the city to afford the place that they call home…my issue is the work that is taking place right now in these kinds of conversations, in these kinds of meetings, to subvert the will of Democrats across the city, all in the interest of Donald Trump.”
Mamdani said he also sees “many ethical issues with this news” and has a hard time believing what he says is “Mayor Adams’ ever-changing story.”