A popularity rate dropped to 28% among his voters… Nothing is going well for New York Mayor Eric Adams. Elected on January 1, 2022 from the mythical world city of 8.5 million souls, the former strong-willed African-American police officer is in turmoil less than two years from possible re-election.
The Democrat is facing a succession of crises which are weighing down his popularity. The most thorny is a federal corruption investigation into the financing of his 2021 election campaign, possibly involving Turkey.
A possible conspiracy
In November, federal police (FBI) seized the mayor’s cell phones and electronic devices and searched the home of a young fundraising manager to look for evidence of a possible plot between his campaign, Ankara and a real estate developer from the Brooklyn borough linked to Turks. The mayor’s lawyers assure that he is cooperating with the investigation.
The former police officer, who comes from the right wing of the Democratic Party, is also grappling with a serious migration crisis. Of such magnitude that it risks “destroying” New York, the cultural, economic and tourist hub of the United States, “a victim of its own success”, launched Eric Adams. Its municipality estimates that since April 2022, more than 165,000 migrants and asylum seekers have passed through this incredible multicultural mosaic built over centuries thanks to waves of immigration.
Committed against immigration
The mayor is doing everything to curb the influx of undocumented foreigners, even if it means annoying his Democratic camp, and is taking part in the national political battle on immigration in the United States, before the presidential election in November. Eric Adams is thus demanding $708 million in court from coach companies chartered since 2022 by southern Republican states like Texas which send migrants to northern Democratic megacities, like New York. For Columbia University professor Robert Shapiro, “this issue (of immigration) and (that of) the corruption of his campaign can kill him” politically.
Post-Covid mayor of a city on its knees in 2020-2021 and former officer of the powerful New York police force, Eric Adams partly contributed to reducing crime figures which had soared during the pandemic. But under his mandate, the cost of living, housing and food has exploded in a city with crazy socio-economic inequalities and infrastructure, particularly transport, often in poor condition.
Civil complaint for sexual assault
Since November, the second African-American to lead New York has also been the target of a civil complaint for sexual assault of a woman in 1993, which he “vigorously” denies. The plaintiff is demanding a trial and five million dollars in damages.
Born and raised in a poor single-parent New York family, Eric Adams chose the police after being a trainee delinquent and victim of police violence. He was elected locally and then “president” (mayor) of Brooklyn. Elected in November 2021 at the head of New York, he appeared on the night of January 1, 2022 in Times Square brandishing a portrait of his deceased mother.
He is also accustomed to gaffes and sweeping declarations, such as in December regarding the attacks of September 11, 2001: “Anything” can happen in “the best city on the planet,” including “a plane that crashes.” crashes into the (World) Trade Center.” “It’s a very, very complicated city,” he added. He knows what he is talking about.
2024-01-30 13:53:00
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