Eric Adams

About

Eric Adams is an American politician and the current mayor of New York City. In 2024, he was indicted for corruption charges due to allegedly taking bribes fro the Turkish government to enact policies it favored in New York City. Online, he is best known for a series of strange sayings and probable lies over trivial matters.

History

Eric Adams was born September 1st, 1960 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York.^[1] Prior to becoming a politician, he worked as a police officer in the New York City police department for twenty years. After retiring from the NYPD, Adams was elected to the New York State Senate, where he served from 2007-2013. During this time, he created a PSA demonstrating to parents how to check their child's belongings for contraband. This would later go viral during his candidacy for mayor (shown below).

Adams was elected mayor of New York City in 2020 as a Democrat and defeated Republican Curtis Sliwa. He took office on January 1st, 2021.

Indictment

On September 25th, 2024, New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted by federal prosecutors after a months-long corruption probe into the city's officials. The indictment grew out of an investigation that began in 2021 by the F.B.I and federal prosecutors in Manhattan, carried out in relation to Adams possibly being influenced by the Turkish government.

In the months leading up to Adams's indictment, federal agents had seized the phones and electronics of some of the city government's highest-ranking officials, including the police commissioner, the schools chancellor, the first deputy mayor, the deputy mayor for public safety, and a senior adviser who has been sued four times this year for sexual harassment.

Adams denied all charges brought against him and resisted calls to resign.

Details of the indictment were released over the following days, including text messages between Adams staffers and Turkish officials that seemed to show Adams taking bribes and favors.

Online Presence

Adams became the subject of scrutiny and mockery during his mayoral campaign and into his time as mayor for a series of bizarre aphorisms and stretched truths. Shortly after he was elected, Adams faced accusations of actually living in New Jersey with his girlfriend, which would have disqualified him from becoming Mayor of New York.^[2] Adams then held a tour of his Brooklyn apartment, but the tour seemed to confirm that Adams didn't actually live there, due to the haphazard arrangement of the furniture, such as a bed sitting in the middle of the room.^[3]

"New York City Is The X Of America"

Adams has drawn mockery for consistently comparing New York to foreign cities while addressing audiences from other countries, using the phrase "Everyone knows New York City is the X of America." On March 22nd, 2024, the Twitter account for The Gothamist^[4] posted a compilation of Adams using the phrase, gaining over 440 retweets and 1,500 likes in six months.

Adams' aphorism has been criticized as being inaccurate, as there is no evidence to suggest the phrase "New York is the X of America" is a common phrase, no matter the city.

All My Haters Become Waiters

All My Haters Become Waiters At The Table Of Success is an aphorism often used by New York City Mayor Eric Adams intended to mean that one's doubters will ultimately be left behind when one succeeds in life. The phrase has been widely parodied and used to mock Adams, particularly in the lead-up to Adams being indicted in September of 2024.

Other Odd Sayings

Other notable Adams-related moments include when he said New York City was "the greatest city in the world" because every day a resident could experience 9/11 (shown below).

Eric Adams has also gone on record saying his favorite concert he's ever attended is the show where Curtis Mayfield was paralyzed for life after being struck with lighting equipment. Of note, Mayfield never played at that concert, as the accident occurred prior to him taking the stage.^[5]

Search Interest

External References