New York City Mayor Eric Adams being eyed as Saudi ambassador: Reports

According to American media reports, members of the Trump administration have been considering appointing New York City mayor Eric Adams as Saudi Arabia’s ambassador.

The plan, according to reports from The New York Times and Politico on Friday, aims to persuade Adams to withdraw from the mayoral race in November in order to defeat Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.

Adams, a Democrat in the first election, has been running as an independent for mayor. In response to allegations that he collaborated with the Trump administration to ease his legal issues, his popularity has decreased.

In the city’s Democratic primary in July, Mamdani defeated former Democratic governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, to claim a surprise victory. The Democratic primary victory in the fight to lead the city with its left-leaning ideology is regarded as the most likely outcome.

Cuomo has continued to run as an independent, but his support base appears to overlap with Adams’. Cuomo and President Donald Trump have historically engaged in contentious relations, but his administration has always favored him as the candidate.

The New York Times reported on Friday that Adams has been meeting regularly with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special representative, to discuss possible diplomatic stance. Trump’s involvement in the process was undetermined, according to the newspaper.

Adams has stated in the past that he intends to remain in the race.

The mayor of the largest city in the US, which has a population of almost 8.5 million, has been accused of supporting Trump’s deportation drive in exchange for the Justice Department to drop a corruption and bribery case against him.

The quid pro quo has been denied by him.

Mamdani has adopted a number of left-leaning policies, including one that claims city officials will not cooperate with federal immigration agents.

He referred to the Trump administration’s alleged interference in the election as an “affront to our democracy” on Thursday.

Mamdani, a vocal supporter of Palestine and a critic of Israel’s occupation of Gaza, has expanded the scope of the campaign.