Close advisers to President Donald Trump have cooked up a new eyebrow-raising scheme: making New York City Mayor Eric Adams ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Forget experience—or interest, for that matter. Adams doesn’t seem to want the job, and his only apparent qualification is that he’s visited the kingdom. Still, advisers apparently think it’s a brilliant next step for a mayor whose reelection chances are melting faster than ice cream in a Manhattan summer.
Trump adviser Steve Witkoff
Steve Witkoff, a billionaire real estate investor and Trump adviser, has been hustling the idea in recent weeks, meeting with Adams during a seemingly random trip to Florida and whispering in the ears of people around the mayor. It’s still unclear whether the White House—or Trump himself—has formally put the offer on the table.
Adams pushed back on Friday, telling a reporter that he isn’t abandoning his struggling reelection bid.
“Serving New Yorkers as their mayor is the only job I’ve ever wanted,” his statement read. “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made lowering crime, improving schools, building housing, and cutting costs for working families—and I remain the best person to lead this city forward.”
“While I will always listen if called to serve our country, no formal offers have been made. I am still running for reelection, and my full focus is on the safety and quality of life of every New Yorker,” he added.
During a “campaign announcement” on Friday afternoon, Adams reiterated his plans to stay in the race.
Still, The New York Times reports that Adams has been quietly weighing his options as polls show his path to reelection evaporating. His decision may hinge on whether the White House would let him finish out his term or demand an early resignation. And from his own statement, it’s not even clear that he would want the job.
Related | Is Eric Adams about to drop out?
Adding fuel to the speculation, Adams is scheduled to visit Washington next week for a White House meeting about his future—a sign that these conversations are moving beyond backroom chatter.
If Adams does jump to the Trump administration, the timing could get messy. Staying in office would leave him on the November ballot; resigning early would throw the city into temporary chaos, handing the mayor’s office to progressive public advocate Jumaane Williams, one of Adams’ favorite antagonists.
When news of a potential ambassadorship broke on Friday, Adams canceled his only scheduled public appearance, which looked a lot like dodging the press while weighing his next move. City Hall called it a “scheduling conflict.” Sure.
Trump’s involvement in New York City’s mayoral race is murky. He’s slated to visit New York on Sunday for the U.S. Open, but whether he’ll meet with Adams is unknown. This week, he did make clear his preferences for the race: He’d like two candidates to “drop out,” presumably to clear the way for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to take on Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
“I’d prefer not to have a communist mayor of New York City,” Trump said on Thursday.
New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani
Trump has claimed that Cuomo has the best shot at beating Mamdani, despite his resignation in 2021 amid a raft of sexual harassment accusations. But polls suggest otherwise, and Cuomo lost to Mamdani by 12 points in June’s Democratic primary.
Meanwhile, some people in Trump’s orbit actually welcome a Mamdani victory, seeing him as a foil that could help Republicans in next year’s midterm elections. And both Adams and Cuomo are running on independent lines, further tangling the voter math.
Earlier this week, reports suggested that Trump’s team was trying to persuade Adams and GOP mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa to bow out, clearing the way for Cuomo. Sliwa refused, vowing to stay in what is likely a losing race for him.
If the ambassadorship talk is real, it wouldn’t be the first time that Trump bailed Adams out. Back in February, the Justice Department dropped a case against the mayor, which Trump even bragged about, saying that he “helped [Adams] out a little bit,” and that he had been “unfairly” targeted.
Ambassadorships require Senate confirmation, a process that can drag on for months. But ambassador to Saudi Arabia is a high-profile post—ideal for a mayor looking to trade a sinking city campaign for global networking. Then again, Trump has a habit of nominating people who are spectacularly unqualified—like Jared Kushner’s dad and Kimberly Guilfoyle, his son’s ex.
Adams would be stepping into the shoes once worn by Michael Ratney, a career diplomat and former U.S. envoy to Syria, who resigned in January. So no pressure, Eric.
But with Trump, qualifications? Who needs ‘em?
