Hizzoner is known for wild statements and his antics. But he surprised the city, and even got national attention last week, when he declared at an interfaith breakfast where he declared he didn’t believe in the separation of church and state.
“When we took prayers out of schools, guns came into schools,” Mayor Adams said at the February 28 press conference, where he emphasized how his faith drives his governing.
Adams also noted that he had a “Godlike approach” to governing and his aide Ingrid Lewis-Martin said that Adams was one of the chosen people.
He’s going to need divine intervention if he wants the people of New York to feel the same way about his “Godlike approach” to implementing policies.
A February 1 poll from Quinnipiac University found that a plurality (43 percent) of respondents disapprove of Mayor Adams’ first year in Gracie Mansion, with 20 percent saying they “didn’t know” and 37 percent saying they did approve.
On the issues a majority of respondents disapprove of Adams’ handling of crime, homelessness and a plurality of respondents disapprove of Hizzoner’s handling of public schools, the city budget and immigration issues. There wasn’t a single issue where the mayor had either a plurality or majority approval.
While it’s been speculated that Eric Adams could run for president in the future, his comments were reminiscent of someone on the stump for the Republican ticket in Iowa.
Adams has already started to walk back his comments after the comments got national attention. His comments regarding the church and state and prayer in schools were convenient panders for churchgoing voters, but his other remarks about having a godlike approach reveal his own narcissistic liturgy.
Throughout his first year in office and on the campaign trail, Adams has made a series of remarks that show his vanity.
Adams has acted like he has a larger mandate than he has ever since he was sworn in,, even though he won the 2021 Democratic Primary by just a little over 7,000 votes in the final round against Kathryn Garcia.
Before even getting sworn in, Adams dismissed critics of solitary confinement since they didn’t wear a bulletproof vest for over 20 years like him. At a May 12 press conference announcing his Dyslexia Screening program, Adams leaned into his own backstory as someone with the learning disorder and said that if he had earlier intervention he would be Mr. President rather than Mr. Mayor.
His narcissism is what he likes to call his swagger but maybe if he spent more time crafting legislation and working with other officials instead of raking in on the photo-ops, he wouldn’t sound as ridiculous as he does.
