During a press briefing, New York City Mayor Eric Adams was asked about the Trump Administration withholding funds for the city, and his response.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Mr. Mayor, I actually have two questions.
00:03Yes, Marsha.
00:04The first question is, during the migrant crisis, you criticized the Biden administration for not giving the city enough money and for not helping you out.
00:15Now the Trump administration is trying to claw back as much as $200 million.
00:19Do you feel betrayed?
00:20Do you feel that two presidents are not understanding the crisis that New York City went through with over 200,000 migrants coming here?
00:28And what are you going to do in terms of the Trump administration trying to take the money back?
00:33Well, listen, you fight for New York.
00:37I fight for New Yorkers.
00:38I made that clear.
00:40And one, let's be clear on our math.
00:44They're trying to claw back $200 million, and we are fighting for that $200 million.
00:50The Corporation Council has already taken action for that $200 million.
00:54We were very clear.
00:55We believe that $200 million belongs to us.
00:57The previous administration gave us a price tag of handling a national crisis.
01:02We are going to fight and state that this $200 million belongs to us.
01:07But then let's look at $7 billion.
01:10$7 billion we lost in the previous administration compared to $200 million.
01:16We're going to fight for every penny.
01:18No matter what it is, this should not be carried on the backs of taxpayers.
01:22Now, the consistent part of this, we are suing for that $200 million.
01:27We're raising our voice for that $200 million.
01:30We raised our voice for the $7 billion.
01:32Where was everyone else?
01:34Why didn't everyone else join us in that $7 billion?
01:37You can't critique an administration based on their party.
01:42You must critique it based on what the city needs.
01:46I did not hear one of my colleagues raise their voice and say it was wrong for the city of New York to have to spend $7 billion.
01:57And so that inconsistency is what you should all be asking about.
02:01If you're angry over $200 million, why won't you infuriate it over $7 billion?
02:07I don't know why we're not asking these folks that.
02:09And so not only that, my ask of the Biden administration was secure the borders.
02:14If you secure the borders, we can stop the flow from our city.
02:18This administration is securing the borders.
02:20My ask of the Biden administration is let's go after those dangerous gang members that are creating violent crimes among migrants and asylum seekers in everyday New Yorkers, document and undocumented.
02:30They didn't want to do that.
02:31This administration is doing that.
02:33Hats off to the Homeland Security Secretary and to Tom over at ICE and others that want to collaborate with us on dealing with criminal behavior.
02:45We're clear that we don't deal with those who are dealing with civil enforcement.
02:51The city doesn't allow us to do that.
02:53But if we got partners on the federal level and all of these agencies that are willing to collaborate with us on criminal behaviors, we say hooray to that.
03:03And that's what the Homeland Security Secretary and what ICE, Bordazar, is doing.
03:09So, yes, we are—Corp Council is taking legal action.
03:14We're going to fight for every penny, and it's up to the courts to make that determination.
03:18So, my second question.
03:19Yes.
03:20So, clearly you're in campaign mode with this outfit and with your attack on the fact that people have not been giving you the credit that you're due.
03:30But usually when you're in a campaign, you have a specific person that you want to go after who you think is your nearest competitor.
03:37So, I'm wondering, you know, who are you running against, and who do you think has not lived up to the record that you claim that you have accomplished in the last three and a half years?
03:50Well, no, this outfit is not campaigning.
03:53This outfit is my life, and God we trust.
03:56I went through hell for 15 months, and all I had was God.
03:59You know, God and my family and those who understood that I did nothing wrong, regardless of the incoming that I received.
04:09And so, I'm not—I'm not—I want to be very clear so people who misunderstand, my faith is real.
04:16Go back in the days when that indictment came out, and I stood in front of you guys in a rotunda, and I stated, my faith is real in God.
04:23But I had—and matter of fact, the quote I stated was that I had more faith in God at the time I was in it than I ever did.
04:29And so, as much as I can say, and not until you were in that type of circumstance, do you understand the impact and importance of your faith?
04:38And so, when you say, who—I'm running on—I'm a Democrat running on an independent line.
04:45Let them—let them fight it out.
04:47Let me see who I'm running against in November.
04:49You know, I think all of them are running from their records.
04:54I'm running on my record.
04:57The housing crisis.
04:58Go back to the Advantage program that the former governor canceled.
05:05The inequities in the COVID.
05:11Let's go back to some of the rules and blockage that the others have done.
05:17You know, the stuff in Albany, the raise the age, the bail reform.
05:23I mean, all these guys got to run—they're running from their record.
05:26They're trying to change.
05:27Brad and defund the police.
05:30You know, I don't have to run from my record.
05:33I can run on a record.
05:35And that's a great feeling.
05:36And so, whomever comes out of that cloud of individuals, I'll see them in November.
05:43Juliet.
05:44Juliet.