Mayor Eric Adams on Monday morning weighed in for the first time on President Donald Trump’s expected tariffs. 

“I think one of the biggest mistakes that people are making is there are knee-jerk reactions to everything. We’re not going to do that. We’re going to analyze, understand what the real impact [is] so we’re not giving out mis or false information," he said at an unrelated press conference. 

What You Need To Know

  • Mayor Eric Adams, once again, refused to criticize President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs 

  • The mayor, a Democrat, has resisted criticizing the Republican president on a host of issues, including executive orders on immigration 

  • Adams is facing federal corruption charges with a trial set for April. On Friday, Adams' defense attorney Alex Spiro met with Department of Justice officials to discuss possibly dropping the case 

  • Adams' silence came on a day when he was promoting an economic initiative for the city

Adams, unlike many of his fellow New York democratic officials, has taken a far more reserved approach to Trump’s executive actions. 

“Let’s be clear we cannot have porous borders. We have to make sure that our borders are secure and it’s a public safety issue. And public safety, as you’ve heard me say over and over again, is the prerequisite to our prosperity," said Adams. “We need to make sure this is a safe country and, in general, specifically, a safe city.”

The mayor, a Democrat, has resisted criticizing the Republican president on a host of issues.

Adams is facing a five-count indictment including bribery, fraud and accepting illegal campaign donations. The case is set to go to trial in April. But last Friday, Adams' defense attorney Alex Spiro met with Department of Justice officials to discuss possibly dropping the case. 

On Monday, Adams continued to sidestep questions about the president. 

“I think we are two weeks, three weeks into this administration and they have to find the right balance," he said.

Adams’ silence about the financial impact of the now delayed tariffs came as he was promoting an economic initiative for the city.

“Despite the historic growth, too many offices are still empty and too many storefronts remain vacant," he continued.

The so-called “Race for Space” initiative aims to encourage out-of-state businesses to lease office space in the five boroughs through tax incentives. 

The city’s goal is to have 15 tenants' lease over 80,000-square-feet of space by 2025 and create over 3,000 new jobs. 

“We want to make sure we’re making every tool available so that none of these buildings lay vacant because if they do, then those are jobs we’re leaving on the table,” First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer said. 

The new initiative will launch immediately and also includes a tax incentive for companies that relocate jobs to the city.