In a city where politics rarely sleep, the race for New York City mayor in November 2025 has taken a dramatic turn, with rumors swirling of backroom deals, job offers, and shifting alliances at the highest levels. At the center of the storm stands Mayor Eric Adams, who, despite a flurry of speculation, insists he is not dropping out of the race—even as reports surface that President Donald Trump’s advisers have floated the idea of luring Adams away with a post in the administration.
The saga began in earnest on September 4, 2025, when The New York Times broke the news that intermediaries for Trump, including prominent real estate investor Steve Witkoff, had approached Adams about a possible job in Washington. The move, sources told The Times, was designed to clear the crowded mayoral field and give former Governor Andrew Cuomo a better shot at defeating Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, a progressive assemblyman who stunned the political establishment with his primary win in June.
Adams, who has faced a cascade of corruption scandals and sagging poll numbers, was quick to push back on the rumors. “Mayor Adams has not met with Donald Trump—don’t believe the noise. He is not dropping out of the race,” campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro said in a statement, as reported by TNND. The mayor himself, speaking to reporters outside City Hall, echoed that message: “I am not going into private conversations. And no matter what happens, right now I’m the mayor of the City of New York.”
Yet, behind the scenes, the story appears more complicated. According to The New York Times, Adams has privately told a small group of friends and advisers that he is seriously considering job opportunities that could prompt him to suspend his reelection campaign. The talks have accelerated as his chances of winning a second term have faded, with one close confidant, former Governor David Paterson, recounting that Adams admitted he was “listening” to other offers, even if his stated preference was to stay in the race.
The intrigue grew when it was revealed Adams had traveled to Florida in early September. City Hall initially said the trip was for a “personal matter,” then shifted to say it was to celebrate Adams’s 65th birthday. Pressed further, Adams said he met with “political figures,” including the mayor of Miami. Four sources briefed on the matter confirmed to The Times that Adams and Witkoff did, in fact, meet in Florida, though what they discussed remains closely guarded.
For his part, President Trump has not been shy about his interest in the mayoral race. He’s made it clear, both publicly and privately, that he considers Mamdani—a self-described democratic socialist—a threat to the city’s future. In July, Trump told reporters, “In New York, we have a communist running, and he may win and will destroy the city.” At the same time, Trump has voiced support for Adams, saying, “Mayor Adams is a very good person. I helped him out a little bit; he had a problem.”
That “problem” refers to a federal corruption case against Adams, which the Trump administration moved to dismiss in February 2025 so the mayor could help implement the president’s immigration agenda. The move freed Adams to run as an independent in the general election but did little to rehabilitate his image in a city where Democratic loyalties run deep.
The political calculus behind the rumored job offer is clear: with Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa both polling in the single digits, their continued presence in the race threatens to split the anti-Mamdani vote, potentially handing victory to the progressive upstart. “I want the people to decide, not the billionaires,” Sliwa said on September 3, as reported by WPIX. Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, has been adamant he would never accept a job from the Trump administration, telling radio host Sid Rosenberg, “Yeah, if somebody puts a bullet in the back of my head, and I’m in a casket, and you’re giving me the greatest eulogy of all time.”
The Trump team’s apparent strategy is to convince both Adams and Sliwa to bow out, leaving a head-to-head contest between Cuomo and Mamdani. According to The Times, Trump and Cuomo have a complicated but enduring relationship, and the president has told associates he would feel most comfortable with the moderate former governor leading New York—even though the two have clashed publicly in the past. Cuomo, now running as an independent, has predicted to donors that Trump would “wade into the race and help clear a path for him to the mayoralty.”
But not everyone is buying the narrative of political kingmaking. Mamdani, speaking at a news conference in Manhattan, called the reports “an affront to democracy.” He insisted, “We know that this city will decide its own future. And we know that it is New Yorkers that we will turn to to make that decision in November, not the White House in Washington, D.C.” He further denounced the alleged Trump-Cuomo alliance as “a backroom deal of betrayal.”
Polls suggest the race remains volatile. A recent survey cited by WPIX showed Cuomo beating Mamdani 52% to 41% in a hypothetical two-man contest, but in a four-way race, Mamdani holds a comfortable lead. Adams’s support has eroded further after his closest aide was indicted on fresh charges in August, and many in his camp now privately acknowledge the odds are stacked against him.
Meanwhile, the mechanics of any potential exit for Adams are complicated. Most high-level posts in the Trump administration—including possible ambassadorships reportedly under consideration—would require Senate confirmation, a process that could drag on for months. Adams also faces millions of dollars in legal debt, and taking another government job could make fundraising to pay it off more challenging. According to The Times, Adams is wary of stepping down early, which would elevate Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, a progressive, to the mayor’s office for the remainder of his term—a scenario that could further roil city politics.
As the November election approaches, the city remains on edge, watching for the next twist in a campaign already marked by indictments, party defections, and a level of intrigue more often found in political thrillers than municipal races. With Adams publicly sticking to his guns, Sliwa refusing to budge, and Trump’s team reportedly working the phones, it’s anyone’s guess how the final ballot will look. One thing is certain: New Yorkers will have the last word, no matter how many power brokers try to tilt the scales behind closed doors.
