Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.
Speaker 2: And a pleasure to welcome Bloomberg's global TV and radio
Speaker 2: audiences here to Chicago, Illinois, indeed the site of the
Speaker 2: Democratic National Convention. Now in day three, I'm Joe Matthew
Speaker 2: alongside Kaylee Lines and a special guest. As Democrats are
Speaker 2: still trickling into Chicago. One of them is the Mayor
Speaker 2: of New York City, Eric Adams, joining us here at
Speaker 2: the table on our set in Chicago. Mister Mayor, welcome,
Speaker 2: It's good to see you.
Speaker 1: Thank you very much. Great to be here.
Speaker 2: Well, you're joining the party here as something that's been
Speaker 2: a pretty energetic rally so far in Chicago, and we've
Speaker 2: heard from New York's governor, we heard from Congresswoman Alexandria
Speaker 2: Casio Cortez. How come the mayor of the world's biggest
Speaker 2: city isn't speaking tonight.
Speaker 1: Well, you know, you have a real focus, and I
Speaker 1: think this campaign is there something that's extremely smart. We
Speaker 1: feel strong in New York. We have very few other
Speaker 1: areas that we need to focus on. And the goal
Speaker 1: is not to get Eric Adams on the stage. The
Speaker 1: goal is to get VP Harris and the team elected
Speaker 1: and they're putting together the right speakers, and we're just
Speaker 1: going to find out what is our role and we're
Speaker 1: going to carry the ball based on that.
Speaker 3: So you may not be a messenger on the stage
Speaker 3: at this convention, but that doesn't mean necessarily that there
Speaker 3: might not be a message you would advocate for. Not
Speaker 3: just giving your role as mayor of New York City
Speaker 3: at a time when Republicans are criticism criticizing cities including
Speaker 3: where we are now Chicago on issues like crime. But
Speaker 3: you're a mayor and a former cop. What is the
Speaker 3: winning message on crime for a former prosecutor if she
Speaker 3: campaigns for president of the United States?
Speaker 1: And I think that's an amazing question because this is
Speaker 1: what I've been talking about for so long. We have
Speaker 1: a great product in a Democratic party. We're leading the
Speaker 1: voice around getting rid of assault rifles, about being proactive
Speaker 1: and not placing people on pathway of criminality, and we
Speaker 1: need to sell that, and unfortunately we've allowed the belief
Speaker 1: that Democrats are soft on crime and we're not. Crime
Speaker 1: is dropping to New York City and many of the
Speaker 1: cities where our mayors are located. I was speaking with
Speaker 1: the Atlantic Mayor a few days ago. We're seeing a
Speaker 1: real focus on public safety. I say it all the
Speaker 1: time is to prerequisite to prosperity, and that's the leading
Speaker 1: message coming out. Affordability. Public safety is crucial to this election.
Speaker 2: We spoke earlier with the mayor of San Francisco, which
Speaker 2: has been held up as the poster child for crime
Speaker 2: in this country by Republicans criticizing progressive policies when it
Speaker 2: comes to crime and safety Chicago, where we are now,
Speaker 2: he compares to Afghanistan. Donald Trump refers to New York
Speaker 2: City as a war zone. You're talking about crime statistics.
Speaker 2: Do you start putting up billboards? How do you get
Speaker 2: the facts delivered?
Speaker 1: Oh? It's so important. And you know, one thing is
Speaker 1: when someone used in analogy of saying things out of control.
Speaker 1: In New York City, our subway system, with four point
Speaker 1: one million riders, we have an average of five feloniece
Speaker 1: a day. We want to get rid of them. But
Speaker 1: let's put it in perspective. Our robberies are at the
Speaker 1: lowest record in recorded history. And when you look at
Speaker 1: all the major crime categories are decrease in. Our economy
Speaker 1: has come back. New York City is a real model
Speaker 1: of how a Democrat can turn around the city and
Speaker 1: moving in the right direction.
Speaker 3: Well, of course, we don't just pay attention for New
Speaker 3: York City and the way in which crime is being handled,
Speaker 3: but migration also, considering you have had an influx of
Speaker 3: migrants that the city have had to deal with, you've
Speaker 3: actually been somewhat critical of this administration in that regard.
Speaker 3: Kamala Harris is part of this administration. She was charged
Speaker 3: in the early days with taking care of the issue
Speaker 3: of the border. This is something Republicans are placing a
Speaker 3: lot of blames specifically on her for. Does she deserve
Speaker 3: some of that blame? Has she not played a role
Speaker 3: in what has happened in New York City?
Speaker 1: Well, first of all, we received that with two hundred
Speaker 1: and twelve thousand microcin asydeum seeker say, and I'm proud
Speaker 1: that that one child of family sleeping on the streets
Speaker 1: of the city of New York as we manage that.
Speaker 1: And I've been extremely clear about securing our borders. And
Speaker 1: I think that when we look at blame to be
Speaker 1: placed is the lack of real true immigration reform. This
Speaker 1: is a country of where immigrants have always participated in
Speaker 1: American dream and we need to ensure that we have
Speaker 1: a pathway in doing so, and I am looking forward
Speaker 1: to sharing my ideas with the administration on some of
Speaker 1: the things we witness in New York and as national
Speaker 1: immigrant leaders have looked at what we have done in
Speaker 1: a level of humanity that we've shown. The key here
Speaker 1: is employment. You put people to work, they could pursue
Speaker 1: the American dream. If you don't, we take away that dignity.
Speaker 2: Mister Mayor, Federal prosecutors in New York served another round
Speaker 2: of grand jury subpoenas, this time directly to you, in
Speaker 2: a corruption investigation that's been going on for the better
Speaker 2: part of a year. Now, you've made it clear that
Speaker 2: you're done talking about this, that you want the process
Speaker 2: to play out. Don't the people of New York deserve
Speaker 2: a little bit more of an explanation than that.
Speaker 1: What the people of New York deserve is a very
Speaker 1: thorough review. And I feel confident whenever you view is done,
Speaker 1: they're going to see that I did nothing wrong. Former
Speaker 1: law enforcement officer, I know what it is to ensure
Speaker 1: that laws are enforced, you don't break them. And then
Speaker 1: it's important that the people in New York have been
Speaker 1: made as discipline and focus. My job is to fight
Speaker 1: on behalf of New York is bringing back the economy
Speaker 1: like we have, making sure our streets are safe like
Speaker 1: we have, build affordable housing like we are doing. That
Speaker 1: is my focus and not to be distracted. Let the
Speaker 1: reviewers do their job. I'm going to do the job
Speaker 1: that the people elected me for, and that's to recover
Speaker 1: our city.
Speaker 3: Well, mister Mayor, when Donald Trump was getting hit with
Speaker 3: all of these different indictments, some of the way in
Speaker 3: which Democrats were prosecuting the campaign against him was that
Speaker 3: he's too mired down in legal battles and he is distracted.
Speaker 3: And that's a lot to deal with even personally, let
Speaker 3: alone trying to be a leader. How are you navigating
Speaker 3: that personally? Why should New Yorkers not have doubt about
Speaker 3: your ability to do all these things that want Well?
Speaker 1: I think that, as you indicated, this was going on
Speaker 1: for several months, and look who our city is of.
Speaker 1: You haven't mad that manage two hundred twelve thousand marcus
Speaker 1: in asylum seekers. The economy has been revitalized, more jobs
Speaker 1: in the city history. Our subway system is a safe,
Speaker 1: seventeen thousand illegal guns remove up our streets, our children
Speaker 1: are outpacing the state and reading and math of When
Speaker 1: you're do an analysis of what I've done, from tourism
Speaker 1: to safety, to project productivity to housing, you have to
Speaker 1: say to yourself, darn that guy. Don't get distracted. He
Speaker 1: knows how to run a city, just as I was
Speaker 1: a person that knew how to keep the city safe
Speaker 1: as a police officer.
Speaker 3: All right, mister mayor, thank you so much for making
Speaker 3: time to us in the city of Chicago, not in
Speaker 3: your hometown today here on Bloomberg TV and radio. We
Speaker 3: appreciate it. That is the New York Mayor Eric Adams,