Extended Interview: Mayor Mamdani discusses NYC agenda, Trump & ICE operations

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "This Week with George Stephanopoulos"

Extended Interview: Mayor Mamdani Discusses NYC Agenda, Trump & ICE Operations (January 25, 2026)

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Episode Overview

In this extended interview, George Stephanopoulos sits down with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (note: called "Eric Adams" in transcript but context indicates the guest is the newly elected Mayor Mamdani) to discuss the city's readiness for an impending snowstorm, major policy initiatives, challenges of governing as a democratic socialist in the heart of global capitalism, his interactions with President Trump, and the city's approach to immigration enforcement under a hostile federal administration. The conversation also touches on the economic climate of New York, relationships with business leaders, the definition and implications of "collectivism," and the mayor's outlook for Democrats ahead of the midterm elections.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Crisis Preparedness: Snowstorm Response

• Storm Readiness: Mayor Mamdani details steps taken to prepare NYC for a major snowstorm, emphasizing city worker mobilization, 700 million pounds of salt, and operational excellence.
  “This is a moment where we can show that this is a city government that's ready to meet the challenge that New Yorkers are facing.” (Eric Adams, 00:51)
• No Partisan Way to Serve: Reflects the classic notion that competence trumps ideology in service delivery: “I believe just as deeply in the importance of public excellence. New Yorkers want to know that every dollar they're spending in taxes is coming back to them in a quality of life and quality of service that is, you know, unparalleled.” (Eric Adams, 02:07)

2. Setting and Measuring Ambitious Goals

• Policy Priorities: Universal childcare, rent freezes, and faster/free public transit identified as campaign promises and key metrics for success.
• Early Wins: Cites actions in the administration's first weeks—standing with tenants, fixing infrastructure, and funding childcare.
  “It's a mantra of there's no problem too small, no issue too big for city government to take on.” (Eric Adams, 02:39)

3. Budget Crisis and Revenue Reform

• Inherited Deficit: Describes a $12.6 billion deficit and critiques the prior administration's fiscal mismanagement.
• Tax Equity: Advocates for higher income and corporate taxes on NYC’s wealthiest, and a fairer fiscal relationship with Albany: “We cannot let [working-class New Yorkers] be the victims… The way that we meet this challenge… is by having the wealthiest New Yorkers pay a little bit more in personal income taxes.” (Eric Adams, 04:14, 04:43)

4. Governing as a Democratic Socialist in a Capitalist City

• Balanced Vision: Stresses pride in NYC's prosperity, but insists “the prosperity reaches every New Yorker.”
• Affordability Crisis: Shares a revealing anecdote about a medical patient commuting from Connecticut due to NYC’s unaffordable housing (06:48–07:26).
• Corporate Exodus Fears: Downplays threats of wealthy flight, relays conversation with a millionaire who was unconcerned by a 2% tax increase (07:58).
• Engaging Business: Ongoing dialogue with business leaders like Jamie Dimon (JP Morgan) and real estate executives, prioritizing joint success.

5. Regulations and Small Business Growth

• Cutting Red Tape: Recognizes regulatory and fee burdens on small business owners, signs executive order to review and reduce obstacles: “We want this to be a city where you can start your business, grow your business, not just a city where only the most profitable business can afford to operate.” (Eric Adams, 11:13)
• Nonpartisan Solutions: Asserts these measures help “every New Yorker” and transcend partisan lines (11:22).

6. "Frigidity of Rugged Individualism" vs. "Warmth of Collectivism"

• Inaugural Quote Explained: Seeks to replace atomized struggle with mutual support structures (11:40–11:55). “We want to do is to build a city where we understand that we can build a place where we understand this as one where we're in this together.” (Eric Adams, 11:55)
• Clarification on "Collectivism": Rebuts associations with authoritarian regimes—sees collectivism as grassroots, not top-down.

7. Relationship with President Trump

• Oval Office Meeting: Describes a pragmatic and surprisingly direct conversation with Trump focused on NYC issues (14:03–15:08). “For all of the focus on how you describe a movement, what's far more important is can you deliver for that movement?” (Eric Adams, 14:03)
• Direct Communication: Regular, private exchanges with Trump, focused on advocating for NYC interests, especially around federal policies with local impact.

8. Federal Actions: Venezuela and ICE Operations

• Critical Stand: Openly confronts Trump on the U.S. intervention in Venezuela ("a violation not just of federal law, but international law" - 17:16), and on ICE tactics in Minneapolis and potentially NYC.
• Defending Immigrants: Highlights the anxiety and fear among NYC’s immigrant communities and promises to resist federal overreach: “We've seen the transformation of the very sites of the American dream into sites of the American nightmare.” (Eric Adams, 18:15)
• Sanctuary City Policy: Outlines legal and policy frameworks protecting immigrants and clarifies misconceptions about shielding criminals (21:01–22:10).

9. Immigration Reform & ICE

• Abolishing ICE: Argues for immigration enforcement with “a little bit of humanity,” contending ICE is a modern, often lawless, creation distinct from older immigration authorities: “ICE is an organization that cares little for the rules… It's an organization that operates with reckless impunity.” (Eric Adams, 23:09)

10. Alignment with Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)

• Selective Support: Acknowledges DSA membership but distances from DSA stances on NATO withdrawal and fossil fuel company trials (24:23).

11. Relations with Democratic Leadership

• Schumer & Jeffries: Describes current relations as “good working relationship”; attributes prior reluctance to endorse to political caution, maintains focus on coalition-building (24:59–25:32).

12. Midterms and Democratic Messaging

• Party Strategy: Calls for authenticity and focus on affordability issues: “I think you should actually make it clear to people that you're running to represent what it is that you believe in… the more you listen as opposed to lecture, the better it is…” (Eric Adams, 26:33)
• Countering "Socialist" Attacks: Urges Democrats to lean in, not retreat from bold progressive policies (27:24).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Effective Governance
  “As much as I believe deeply in the importance of public goods, I believe just as deeply in the importance of public excellence.” – Eric Adams, 02:07

• On Inheriting Fiscal Mismanagement
  “This is an Adams budget crisis … we haven't seen since the financial crisis.” – Eric Adams, 04:14

• On Making NYC Affordable for All
  “We have to make this such that New Yorkers know this isn't just a city where they work in. This also has to be a city where they can afford to live in.” – Eric Adams, 06:48

• On Communicating with Trump
  “It became focused on the intricacies of New York City … we were both honest and direct … about places we had disagreements.” – Eric Adams, 15:08

• On ICE Operations
  “We've seen the transformation of the very sites of the American dream into sites of the American nightmare.” – Eric Adams, 18:15

• On Democratic Messaging
  “Our party is always at its most successful when it has working people at the heart of it.” – Eric Adams, 25:19

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Storm Preparedness & Testing Leadership – 00:43–02:24
• Policy Goals & Early Administration Achievements – 02:24–03:33
• Budget, Taxes, and fiscal policy – 04:03–05:52
• Affordability Crisis & Wealthy Residents/Businesses – 06:48–09:09
• Small Business Climate & Regulatory Reform – 10:06–11:22
• Defining Rugged Individualism vs. Collectivism – 11:40–13:51
• Relations with President Trump – 13:51–17:02
• Venezuela & ICE Operations – 17:02–20:57
• Sanctuary City Policies Explained – 21:01–22:36
• Abolishing ICE & Immigration Philosophy – 22:48–23:47
• Democratic Socialism & Policy Alignment – 23:54–24:35
• Working with Schumer, Jeffries, and the Democratic Party – 24:35–26:23
• Midterms & National Democratic Messaging – 26:23–27:54

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Tone and Language

Throughout the interview, Mayor Mamdani maintains an assertive but pragmatic tone—frequently acknowledging ideological differences but emphasizing competence, results, and inclusivity. He frequently grounds policy points in vivid, human anecdotes, and repeatedly circles back to the theme of “delivering” for ordinary New Yorkers.

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Transcript

[Eric Adams]

911.

[Podcast Host]

Where is the emergency?

[Juju Chang]

It's the middle of the night in a small town on the Jersey shore. Someone reports an abandoned car on a bridge. A search gets underway for the missing driver, 19 year old Sarah Stern.

[Eric Adams]

Is it a missing person? Is it a suicide?

[Podcast Host]

At this point, nobody knows.

[Juju Chang]

Old friendships, buried cash, and a sinister plot that was once pitched as a movie plays out in real life. I'm juju chang from 2020 abc audio. Listen to bridge of lies coming March 10th wherever you listen to podcasts.

[Podcast Host]

Mr. Mayor, thank you for joining us.

[Eric Adams]

Very welcome. Thank you for coming.

[Podcast Host]

You got a huge storm coming. This is, this is a big test. Are you ready? Is the city ready?

[Eric Adams]

I'm very much ready. And I think this is a moment where we can show that this is a city government that's ready to meet the challenge that New Yorkers are facing. And we're talking about it could be 8 inches of snow, it could be 18 inches of snow.

[Podcast Host]

It's quite a range.

[Eric Adams]

It's quite a range. But the good thing is that we have an incredible set of city workers who have been out as of 6am this morning brining highways, major roadways, making sure that we're prepared for any eventuality, and that we've actually procured 700 million pounds of salt just to be ready for a moment like this.

[Podcast Host]

Because we've seen snowstorms undo mayors. I mean, you know, I'm reminded by everyone, Mayor Bloomberg was in Bermuda one year. I remember when a big storm hit. So you could be really judged. This is, people are gonna look at you and say, did he pull it off?

[Eric Adams]

And I think, you know, New Yorkers are right.

[Podcast Host]

I mean, you're not the one actually plowing the streets, but, you know, no,

[Eric Adams]

but they're right to ask, which is, you know, can city government help me in my most day to day needs. And on Sunday, we're talking about a level of snowfall that will change the way New Yorkers can move around the city. So yes, we're asking New Yorkers, you know, stay home, watch some terrible reality TV with your friends and family. But on our end, we have to deliver. And I'm just really proud of the city workers who are doing exactly that.

[Podcast Host]

And I've heard it said there's no Democratic or Republican way, I guess no Democratic socialist way to plow the streets.

[Eric Adams]

Fiero laguardia.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I mean, so is that true? Is that basically, you know, it's just competence.

[Eric Adams]

You have to deliver it. And I have to tell you that for as much As I believe deeply in the importance of public goods, I believe just as deeply in the importance of public excellence. New Yorkers want to know that every dollar they're spending in taxes is coming back to them in a quality of life and quality of service that is, you know, unparalleled. And that's what we're looking to prove.

[Podcast Host]

As you took office, you said something I found interesting. You said there are a lot of people, you acknowledged, who view your administration with distrust and disdain, and the only way you can win them over is with the results, which is what you're saying. You gotta get it done.

[Eric Adams]

I think that there's nothing more powerful than the power of example. New Yorkers, they have heard every conceivable set of words in every kind of different sentence. What they are looking for, however, is the work that you do. And so, frankly, you know, it's been 23 days now by the time this airs, 25 days. And in that time, we've been trying to build a city government that moves at the speed of New Yorkers walking down a street. And so day one, we went to put a bad landlord on notice and stand with tenants who were living through the kind of conditions no New Yorker should have to live through. Day six, we fixed a bump on the Williamsburg Bridge. Day eight, we secured more than a billion dollars to deliver universal childcare to New Yorkers. It's a mantra of there's no problem too small, no issue too big for city government to take on.

[Podcast Host]

And you've set sky high expectations. I mean, you've talked about transforming the city, rebuilding the city. How are you going to measure that? What are the metrics? How are we going to look back and say he pulled it off or he didn't?

[Eric Adams]

I think it comes back to what we spoke about every day of the campaign. We spoke about freezing the rent for rent, stabilized tenants, delivering universal childcare, and making the slowest buses in America fast and free. And so that's why it's so important that our focus in this beginning stage is advancing that agenda. So it's not just the more than billion dollars for universal childcare. It's also unpausing the bus projects that the prior administration had put on hold so that you're not traveling at five miles an hour when you're getting on the bus in New York City. You're actually able to get to where you're going.

[Podcast Host]

It's going to cost a lot of money. And we've seen now that Mayor Adams left you with a deficit staggering $12.6 billion. How are you going to deal with that?

[Eric Adams]

Well, I think it's frankly, in the words of the Jackson 5, it's as easy as ABC. This is an Adams budget crisis. What we are inheriting is a scale of gross fiscal mismanagement that leaves us with a debt the kinds of which we haven't seen since the financial crisis. And what we will not allow, however, is the failures of the last administration to dull the ambitions of our own. And so we continue to believe that the way that we meet this challenge, frankly, is by having the wealthiest New Yorkers pay a little bit more in personal income taxes. The most profitable corporations pay a little bit more in their corporate taxes. And then to change the relationship between the city and the state. And what I mean by that is that here in New York City, we send about 54.5% of the state's tax revenues. We receive about 40.5%. We want to see a relationship that's more reflective of the city's status as the economic engine of the state. And we know that New Yorkers, working class New Yorkers, they did not cause this crisis. We cannot let them be the victims of it either.

[Podcast Host]

But you're going to need Albany, you need the state legislature and the governor to sign off on those tax increases.

[Eric Adams]

Yes, this is something that will be done in partnership with leaders in Albany, whether it's the governor or the speaker of the State assembly or the majority leader of the state Senate. And what we've also made clear is this issue is one that was created prior to their leadership. We're talking about the previous mayoral administration. We're also talking about then Governor Cuomo's decade long efforts to raid the city's coffers.

[Podcast Host]

But the governor, at least now is making it clear she doesn't want to see more taxes, more income taxes. So can you do what you're talking about? I mean, even without the deficit, can you do all that you want if you don't see taxes go up?

[Eric Adams]

We will continue to make our case. And I think what we've found already in these 20 odd days of being in office is the very things that we had been told were impossible or fanciful or unrealistic. They're the ones we're already delivering. And I think that this is an impact not just in terms of an abstract political argument, but when you deliver more than $1 billion in funding for universal childcare. You have a mother like Mallory in Brooklyn texting her husband and saying, maybe it's time for a second child. When you take on bad landlords in the city. You have someone like Josie who lives in an apartment where she's had rusting for more than 20 years. Then understand that the $30 million we just secured in a settlement from that landlord is going to fix her apartment and thousands of others as well.

[Podcast Host]

You said also when you took office, you were elected as democratic socialist. You're going to govern as a democratic socialist. You're in the city that is seen as the center of global capitalism. Do you want it to remain that way?

[Eric Adams]

I want it to continue to be a place that generates prosperity. We should be proud of that legacy and to ensure that that prosperity reaches every New Yorker. Because, as you said, this is not just a symbol of global capital. This is also the wealthiest city and the wealthiest country in the history of the world. And yet it's the same city where one in four New Yorkers are living in poverty. And we have to make this such that New Yorkers know this isn't just a city where they work in. This also has to be a city where they can afford to live in. I mean, I'm currently getting allergy shots to get a cat with my wife at some point. And yesterday I was in the elevator on the way up to get my shot once a week, and I looked to the woman next to me and she let out a sigh, and I asked her, you know, how's your day going? She said, it's been a long day, and I have to head back to Connecticut after this. I said, what do you mean? She said, that's where I live because I can't afford to live in New York City.

[Podcast Host]

You said during the campaign you had a lot of kind of major financial figures in New York say that they would leave the city, predicting that major corporations would leave the city if you got elected. Now, it seems like they're not yet following through on those threats, but is there a concern that if the kind of policies you're talking about, especially the tax increases, go into effect, that you will lose, you know, those. Those big, wealthy corporations?

[Eric Adams]

We want them to stay in this city. We want this to be a vision of a city not where we pick and choose who gets to live here, but that we make room for everybody to do so? I actually spoke to a New Yorker the other day who self identified herself as one of those millionaires, and she said, you know, is it true you want to raise taxes? I said, yeah. She said, you know, but I might leave. I said, but it's only by 2% on an income of a million or more. She said, what is that? I said, that's about $20,000. She said, oh, that's not that much, actually, to me. And I think that sometimes we allow ourselves to get carried away by the specter, as opposed to the substance. And the substance of it is we want to make this a city for everyone. Those that we're looking to increase taxes on, those that are currently being priced out of the city so that they can all afford to live here.

[Podcast Host]

I saw the CEO of JP Morgan, Jamie Dimon, saying that he called you and left you a message after you won. Have you spoken to him directly yet?

[Eric Adams]

Have you had that conversation with him? We have spoken, and I look forward to continuing these kinds of conversations, because what I see is that we are all committed to the success of the city. It's going to take all of us. No one of us has a monopoly on the way that we will do so. And I'm excited to build these kinds of partnerships.

[Podcast Host]

What was that conversation like? Did he have advice for you? Did he have requests for you? What was the conversation?

[Eric Adams]

I think it was a reflection that though there may be policy disagreements, that doesn't stem from a difference of opinion about how important the city is. That at the heart of it, it has to be, we want the city to succeed. You know, I was sitting with a leader in real estate, and they were telling me about their company. They pointed to their office. They said, about 20% of our worth comes from the work that we do here. And he said, but about double that comes from the work that you do out there, because all of our success is tied to the success of the city. And that's something that's been so heartening, is there's a real sense right now that we are all tied together in this place that we call home, and it's time for us to succeed together.

[Podcast Host]

There was a recent report that found that the city lost 5,000 businesses last spring. This is obviously not on your watch, but do you worry that. And a lot of. Sometimes it's regulations that are cited, taxes. Do you worry about businesses leaving New York and what will you do to keep them here?

[Eric Adams]

I worry every day about this not being a city that everyone can not only afford to live in, but also build and chase their dreams in. And I think small businesses especially are. They are such a critical part of what makes the city so incredible. And so we want to exhaust every tool at our disposal to make it easier to start a business and keep a business open right. Right now in New York City. So like what? Like what kind of stuff? I'll give you an example. You want to open a barbershop, you gotta fill out more than 20 forms. You gotta go to more than seven agencies, you gotta then attend 12 in person activities. That is not making it easy to open a barbershop. So when you see a barbershop in New York City, know that they opened in spite of everything we put in them through. So some of it is the regulatory hurdles. The other side of it is the fines and fees, which you mentioned. We just signed an executive order that would direct every city, agency and department to put together every rule, regulation, fine and fee, and then start to reduce them because we don't want to be any part of what's making it difficult to keep these doors open. We want this to be a city where you can start your business, grow your business, not just a city where only the most profitable business can afford to operate.

[Podcast Host]

Now, those ideas, cutting regulations, cutting fines and fees, those sound like ideas that are. I mean, you could see Republicans applauding.

[Eric Adams]

And I think this is for every New Yorker that I speak to. They ask me less. How do you describe your politics? More, does your politics include me in it? And we want to show that a politics that cares about the city, that loves the city. It's a politics that puts working people at the heart of this city. And that's who we want to make it easier to live in the city for.

[Podcast Host]

You had a line in your inaugural speech on New Year's Day that got a lot of attention. You said, we will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism. What did you mean by that?

[Eric Adams]

I meant that too often New Yorkers are made to feel as if their struggles are only their own, that the issues they're facing in their life are for them to figure out. And what we want to do is to build a city where. Where we understand that we can build a place where we understand this as one where we're in this together. You know, the other day we opened two youth clinics. And this is a place where young people in New York City can come to, to receive social services, vocational training, mental health services. It's exactly for a New Yorker like that who's been made to feel as if your trials and tribulations, they're on your shoulders alone. We're trying to tell those New Yorkers and every New Yorker that we're here for you. We're trying to make the city where we can make it easier for you to be.

[Podcast Host]

But let's just take the two parts of that rugged individualism, frigidity of rugged individual. A lot of people look at America and they say rugged individualism is kind of what made the country. Do you have a problem with rugged individualism?

[Eric Adams]

I think I have a problem with how so many are alienated from the city that they live in, the state that they're in, the society that they belong to. They're made to feel not that they can't pursue their own dreams, but that this mountain is only for them to bear. And what I've found time and again is that the most transformative policies that we can have for New Yorkers, they're only possible if we're actually achieving them together. And if every New Yorker sees themselves as part of that whole.

[Podcast Host]

And the warmth of collectivism. I mean, a lot of people associate collectivism with Stalin's Russia, with Mao's China. I mean, it's got a. There is a negative connotation, the historic context. That's not. I know you don't want it, but I mean, when you use that phrase, do you think of that connotation at all or worried that people will.

[Eric Adams]

No, my intention was just to speak about how this isn't a movement of an individual. It's a movement of a collective. And it's through that collective that we've been able to weather the storms. It's through that collective we'll be able to deliver. But it's one of New York City delivering four New Yorkers.

[Podcast Host]

All right, let's talk about Donald Trump. You seem to have charmed him. That meeting in the Oval Office was something. Take us behind the scenes. What was it? What was it like when you got there? Were you surprised by how it went?

[Eric Adams]

You know, I think for as much as it was a conversation between the President of the United States and myself as the then mayor elect of New York City, it was also a conversation between two people who come from this same city and care deeply about it. And I think the President said it himself in the Oval Office in front of where he said, the better this city does, the happier he is. And I made the case that for this city to do well, we have to take on the affordability crisis, we have to take on the cost of living crisis. And this means housing, childcare, public transit, groceries. It means every single thing that's squeezing people in the city. And I think what we actually found is that in our campaign, by focusing on what New Yorkers were facing, as opposed to lecturing them about what they should care about. We actually had more than 60,000 New Yorkers who voted for the President, then also vote for me. And I think that for all of the focus on how you describe a movement, what's far more important is can you deliver for that movement? And that's what we're trying to show.

[Podcast Host]

But what was it like when you first got there? I mean, just give me something. We saw what happened in front of the cameras. Give me something behind the scenes. What was that?

[Eric Adams]

You know, I think it was. I have, you know, there are a wide variety of ways that meeting could have gone. And I was hopeful of a productive meeting. And what I was taken aback by was how quickly it became focused on the intricacies of New York City. Those are intricacies that can range from zoning laws to municipal policy to the larger scale issues that people are facing. And I think that one thing about that conversation is we were both honest and direct with each other about places that we had disagreements. And we also were looking to find the places that we could align to deliver for the same New Yorkers that we both care about.

[Podcast Host]

And I hear you've been texting with him lately. By the way, how did you get his number? Did he share it with you when you were with him at the White House?

[Eric Adams]

He gave me his number. I'll say that the conversations between the President and I are private and I'll keep them there. But they are always back to the question of New Yorkers. You know, the federal administration's policies, the decisions that they make, they have a massive impact on this city. And when they will hurt New Yorkers, I will stand up and speak very clearly about that. And when they will help New Yorkers, I'll say the same.

[Podcast Host]

The conversations are private, but let's just talk about the frequency. I mean, what happens? Do you hear from him? Do you reach out to him? How does this work out? How often? Give me something. I mean, come on. I text him occasionally.

[Eric Adams]

I think it's less about the maintenance of a personal relationship. It's more about delivering for the people of the city. And I'll tell you that over the course of the campaign, I said very clearly where the President is looking to pursue policies that will hurt the city, I'm going to be there on the front lines. And where the President is looking to pursue policy to help the city, I'll embrace that opportunity for working together. And I think what we're seeing right now is the need as the leader of this city for me to make that case to anyone across this country.

[Podcast Host]

You did talk, at least about one of the conversations after the US Went into Caracas and got Maduro in Venezuela. You called to express your concerns. What made you do that, and what kind of a response did you get?

[Eric Adams]

You know, I was concerned in part because as the leader of the city and seeing that this was going to be something that would have an impact on our own city, and also to be very direct and honest with the president, that these actions were a violation not just of federal law, but international law. They were in pursuit of regime change. That's in stark contrast to the policies that I and many others have wanted to see in our country. And I always make clear to be direct about that, because I think a lot of times in our politics, you seem to have to do an equation to find out where somebody stands on something. And I want to be very honest about where it is that I stand and to have that be a direct conversation.

[Podcast Host]

And did you just pick up the phone and call, or did you set it up ahead of time? How did you.

[Eric Adams]

I called the president, had that conversation.

[Podcast Host]

And I know you have been horrified, as many people have, by what's been happening with ICE in Minneapolis. Do you worry that Donald Trump would try to do something similar here in New York City? And if he does, what do you do about it?

[Eric Adams]

I think just to first take a moment about Minneapolis, it is horrific what we have seen there. And I think that there are too many Americans who are being asked to not believe their own eyes, not believe their own ears, not believe their own realities. And people want to hear the truth. They want to see the truth. And that's why I described that as a murder, because there's no other way to watch that video and come to a different conclusion. And we know that the fear that so many are living with in Minneapolis, it's a fear that New Yorkers are also living with a fear of being terrorized. I have spoken to New Yorkers of a wide variety of immigration status who've told me that leaving the house now feels like a political decision of whether or not they can actually take a deep breath and know that they'll return to it. We've seen the transformation of the very sites of the American dream into sites of the American nightmare. I'm talking about 26 Federal Plaza here in New York City. This is, you know, I'm an immigrant who got my citizenship in this city. This is where New Yorkers used to go by and large, for either routine immigration check, INS or citizenship interviews. And now that's where New Yorkers go, thinking that they may be detained or deported. It is really a stain on our nation. And I will do everything in my power to ensure that we do not see that take place in New York City. And I've also said clearly to the President that these ICE raids, they are cruel, they are inhumane, they do nothing to serve the interests of public safety.

[Podcast Host]

So it sounds like the first key step is to dissuade him from doing something on the scale that he is doing in Minneapolis. And if he does, do you have the power to stop it?

[Eric Adams]

We have a number of tools here in New York City. And whether those tools are the utilization of the courts or it's the tools of the bully pulpit or the tools of our own city policies, we're going to exhaust every option to protect New Yorkers. We want to do everything in our power now to ensure it never gets to that stage. But our values, our laws, these are not bargaining chips that we will shirk away from at the first sign of a threat. These are things that we will defend, and we defend them because we're proud of them. You know, for all of this conversation around sanctuary city policies, we're talking about policies that used to be defended by Republicans and Democrats alike. These are policies that are common sense things that say that an ICE agent can't enter into a school unless they have a judicial warrant signed by a judge. Right now you have masked agents who are terrorizing people across this country. Whether they're in their home, in their car, out on the street. You have the loss of what it means to be an American in your own country, the sense of safety and the sense of self. That's something we should all be fighting.

[Podcast Host]

Explain what that means, that New York is a sanctuary city. What does that mean?

[Eric Adams]

It quite literally means a set of policies. Right. So one of them is the one that I mentioned about schools. I'll give you another example. Any city property, including that of a hospital, that it will not allow an ICE agent into that property unless they show you a judicial warrant signed by a judge. What you'll see is a lot of ICE agents. They will try and gain entry into sites and facilities, even residences, by claiming to have warrants. A lot of times those are administrative warrants as opposed to judicial warrants. We're asking them to follow the law. And what we're also seeing is that an inability to make clear the rights New Yorkers have, it pushes those New Yorkers into the shadows, pushes them into the margins. There are so many people who are quite literally not leaving their homes. I heard of a New Yorker who took every apartment number off the door of every door on their floor in the fear that an ICE agent would know where they lived. That's how people are living right now.

[Podcast Host]

What the administration says is that you have hardened criminals who have committed heinous acts, rape, murder, who are undocumented, and that sanctuary cities like New York don't cooperate with the effort to get those criminals.

[Eric Adams]

Is that accurate? It's not accurate. I've said this directly, both to the President but as well as in public. Our sanctuary city policies allow the city to work with the federal administration if anyone has been convicted of more than 170 serious crimes. What we are talking about is the concern for so many New Yorkers whose only crime seems to be being here in New York City that they are being targeted in these kinds of ways.

[Podcast Host]

You've, like many other people said you want to see ICE abolished. How would you enforce the immigration laws? Or do you think they shouldn't be enforced? I mean, how would you do it without immigration law, Customs enforcement?

[Eric Adams]

You do it with a little bit of humanity. You know, immigration existed long before ice. ICE is a modern creation. It's. I'm older than ice. And the idea that we could not enforce immigration without an entity like this, it speaks to the fact that we're losing sight of our history for how we have actually engaged.

[Podcast Host]

But you've always had an organ, whatever you call it, you've had an organization to enforce those rules.

[Eric Adams]

I would separate ICE from an organization that looks to enforce these rules. ICE is an organization that cares little for the rules. It's an organization that operates with reckless impunity and seems to revel in the flouting of those kinds of rules. And that's what gives people a real sense of fear. I mean, we're talk. So much of the engagement with law enforcement across this country comes from your knowledge that they are law enforcement. They're badge, you know, who they are, what they represent. ICE agents are masked. You oftentimes have no idea. We even have seen, seen instances in this country of people pretending to be ICE agents because they know that there's no identification. That's what we're talking about.

[Podcast Host]

Let me ask you, switching topics, please. You say you're a proud member of Democratic Socialists of America, Is that correct?

[Eric Adams]

Yes, I'm a DSA member.

[Podcast Host]

So I was just looking through some of the positions that have been endorsed by dsa. That kind of define dsa. And I'm wondering what you think of them. One is they're talk of putting the CEOs of fossil fuel companies on trial for crimes against humanity, perhaps nationalizing those companies. Also calling for the immediate withdrawal of the United States from NATO. Are these positions that you support?

[Eric Adams]

No, the positions that I support are the ones that I say out loud myself. It is. As the mayor of New York City, my concerns are the welfare of New Yorkers here in New York City. That's what I tend to focus on. Okay.

[Podcast Host]

The top two Democratic leaders in Congress just happen to be your constituents. Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer. And neither of them endorsed you until. Well, actually, Schumer never endorsed your campaign. Jeffries waited until the last week or so. Why is that? What's your current relationship with those two Democrats, Democratic leaders?

[Eric Adams]

It's a good working relationship with both of them. And what I've appreciated about the conversations that we have is it does always come back to affordability. Looking to how can we protect New Yorkers health care? How can we advance this affordability agenda? How can we make politics something that means something in people's lives as opposed to just something of an intellectual concern?

[Podcast Host]

Why do you think they kept you at arm's length, though?

[Eric Adams]

I can't speak for them. What I can tell you is my politics, my hopes for a coalition. It doesn't ask when you joined. It's just glad that you're there and that we build together.

[Podcast Host]

Midterm elections are going to be huge, obviously, as Democrats try to take back at least one chamber of Congress. I see you're involved in some primaries. Are you going to be involved in supporting Democratic candidates around the country or New York for the midterms?

[Eric Adams]

I can tell you my focus is right here in New York City. I haven't made any endorsements outside, but I am looking to be as helpful as I can be to ensure that we win these midterms. This is critically important, not just for the agenda that we've been speaking about, but for Americans ability to afford their own lives. And now is the opportunity to not just say what we're in opposition to, but what do we actually believe in? And I think that our party is always at its most successful when it has working people at the heart of it, when we return to the ideals that made so many of us proud to be Democrats, which are ideals that seize the dignity in a day's labor, that sees the dignity in a working person.

[Podcast Host]

And what's your advice to Democrats going into these midterms how aggressive to be, how progressive, how should they approach the midterms?

[Eric Adams]

I think you should be yourself. I think you should actually make it clear to people that you're running to represent what it is that you believe in. And for me, I think one of the major lessons of our campaign that I've learned is the more you listen as opposed to lecture, the better it is because for so long we've told people what they should care about. If we just dare to listen to them, they'll tell us it's the cost of living crisis. And I wouldn't be as arrogant to say that the same issues here in New York City are the ones elsewhere in the country. It may not be housing, child care, public transit, groceries. Somewhere else it might be a different hierarchy. But I can tell you that there are people, no matter where you look in this country who are having a very difficult time affording their day to day life. And it's up to us to listen to them about how we can make it that little bit easier.

[Podcast Host]

Republicans are going to be making you part of the campaign, whether you are or not. I mean, they're going to make you as the symbol, a socialist. How do you deal with that?

[Eric Adams]

I think you just embrace this as an opportunity, frankly, where this is a party, we're speaking about the Democratic Party. We can be the party of family values by delivering universal childcare and baby baskets for every child born in New York City. We can be the party of efficiency and excellence by rooting out government waste and fraud. We can be the party of freedom of expression by actually standing up when it's being stifled. We should be proud of who we are. We should be proud of the case that we're making because for far too long it's felt as if we're running away from our own shadow.

[Podcast Host]

All right, Mayor Mamdani, thank you very much. Really appreciate your time.

[Eric Adams]

Thank you. Real pleasure. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations.