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New York City Mayor Eric Adams got defensive Thursday after repeatedly being probed by Piers Morgan on why he doesn’t just “go the whole hog” and “become a Republican” — the night before he was set to travel to the nation’s capital to meet President Trump.
Hizzoner snapped back during the heated interview after the British journalist and New York Post columnist homed in on Adams’ longshot move to seek re-election as an independent and his apparently chummy relationship with the commander-in-chief.
“If you’re so supportive of so much of what Trump is doing, why not go the whole hog and just run as a Republican?” Morgan queried at one point during the lengthy exchange.
“It seems to me that running as an independent, you’re going to be carving up the vote with Andrew Cuomo, who wants to be mayor.
“I could see your vote getting split. I think you’ve said this, that that’s a concern,” Morgan continued. “But given that you’re so aligned to so much of what Trump is doing, why not just go with the flow? Become a Republican.”
Adams quickly fired back.
“It’s really interesting. I’ve watched many of your shows, and I really have never seen you do this before. Why are you trying to interpret what my position is? I’m not in alignment with anyone 100%. I’m in alignment with protected New Yorkers,” Adams said.
“I don’t think there was anything I said on this interview that gave you the impression that I’m completely in alignment with anyone. I was aligned with what President [Joe] Biden did that was correct. I’m aligned with whatever President Trump do[es] that’s correct.”
The embattled mayor has faced a barrage of criticism for cozying up to Trump in the lead-up to his federal criminal corruption case being quashed for good.
Adams was indicted last year for allegedly taking illegal campaign contributions and travel perks from a Turkish official and others seeking to buy influence back when he was Brooklyn borough president.
After Trump took office, the Justice Department ordered Manhattan prosecutors to drop the charges.
Adams has long argued that the since-dropped case was political retribution for him speaking out against Biden’s border policies — even though the probe began in 2021 before the Big Apple’s migrant crisis.
Elsewhere in the heated interview, which aired as City Hall disclosed that Adams would be traveling to Washington, DC, on Friday to sit down with Trump, the mayor defended his relationship with the commander-in-chief.
“There is nothing inconsistent about the mayor of the largest city in America communicating with the president of the country,” he said.
Adams also weighed in on the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs, insisting: “The tariff system we had in place was unfair to Americans.”
“I’ve always made it clear, I’m not an expert on tariffs. I’m an expert on delivering for New Yorkers,” he said when probed on whether he supported Trump’s ongoing trade war.
