Mayor Eric Adams pulled no punches on Tuesday when it came to criticizing the mayoral frontrunner and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

“Let me tell you the art of what Andrew [Cuomo] does. Because I have a master’s in public administration, but a PhD in Andrew,” Adams said.

The mayor, who is not running in the primary, took issue with Cuomo’s recent Jewish endorsements. 

What You Need To Know

  • Mayor Eric Adams took issue with Andrew Cuomo’s campaign style and recent endorsements on Tuesday at his weekly question-and-answer session with reporters

  • Adams dismissed Cuomo’s support with Black clergy and Jewish leaders as insignificant and superficial. He also said the majority of the primary contenders flip flop on issues but Zohran Mamdani

  • Cuomo shot back, saying that the mayor has become a “Republican” after making “a deal” with President Donald Trump. He added that he’s always been supportive of Israel 

  • Early voting begins on Saturday. Election Day is June 24

“He’s good at giving the impression that let me pick one or two people. I stand up and do a press conference with them and it will give the impression, oh he has the whole Crown Heights lubavitch community,” he said.

The Jewish vote was part of a larger coalition that helped Adams win his first term in office.

The mayor, who is running as an independent in November, took issue with Cuomo’s campaigning style. 

“He’ll go to Borough Park and get one or two people and then we will write, oh he has the whole Borough Park community,” he said.

“I’m gonna go eat at a soul food restaurant and let everybody know I eat chicken. ‘Black power,’” he added.

Adams also hit Cuomo and other primary candidates for what he called their changing stances with a noticeable exception. 

“[Zohran] Mamdani is the same Mamdani that he was before. Same person,” he said. “I disagree with him, but at least he’s not this politician that puts a finger in the air and sees where the wind is blowing.” 

Cuomo shot back at the claims later on Tuesday. 

“Mayor Adams switched, he switched from Democrat to Republican. He is now with President Trump. He made that deal. New Yorkers are not stupid,” Cuomo told NY1 on Tuesday. 

“He asked the president for mercy. The president showed him mercy and now he is going to do whatever the president says,” he added.  

Cuomo also defended his Jewish support, saying he’s visited Israel multiple times and passed laws like outlawing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. 

“Virtually every Orthodox group, [the] main Orthodox group, has endorsed me. The Jewish community supports me because I’m not just words. It’s action,” he said.  

Meanwhile, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams was getting endorsed by a group of tenant leaders living in public housing in Williamsburg. 

When asked about her endorsement cutting into Cuomo’s base, the speaker said: “I don’t know anything about Andrew Cuomo’s base. I know about [City Council] Speaker Adrienne Adams’ work. This is the determination, and this is the output of the work that I’ve put in as council speaker.” 

Meanwhile, Zohran Mamdani spent the day speaking out against the ongoing immigration enforcement in the city and the mayor’s plan to quell any escalation in protest activity.  

“This is an indication of their willingness to be accomplices to what is going on and what ICE agents are inflicting on New Yorkers,” the Queens assemblyman said.  

Early voting begins on Saturday. Election Day is June 24.