Do we like them?

Do we like Eric Adams?

Our score: 4 out of 10. Some real LGBTQ+ outreach and a long career in public service, set against anti-LGBTQ appointments, a deal-smelling dismissal and a crypto flop.

Eric Adams was a transit and NYPD cop who rose to captain, then went into politics. He went from state senator to Brooklyn Borough President, then won the 2021 mayoral race as the Democratic candidate. He sold himself as the tough-on-crime Black ex-cop who would fix the city.

The big story was the federal case. Adams was indicted in September 2024 on bribery, wire fraud and foreign-donation charges, which he denied, and his lawyer called it not a real case. Then Trump's Justice Department moved to drop it, and several top prosecutors resigned rather than do so. Judge Dale Ho dismissed it with prejudice in April 2025 and wrote that everything smacked of a bargain, because the dismissal would look tied to Adams carrying out immigration priorities. Adams said he did nothing wrong, and the DOJ called the case political weaponisation.

On the harm test, it's a mixed bag. He told Gay City News he was proud of his record and pledged the city would “stand up for the transgender and non-binary communities.” But early in his term he appointed three religious leaders with anti-LGBTQ views, and several LGBTQ political clubs boycotted his Pride reception. His budget also proposed cutting HIV/AIDS funding, which was restored after nonprofits raised alarms.

The immigration side matters too. After meeting Trump's border czar, Adams moved to let ICE agents operate on Rikers Island. The City Council sued, alleging the order was the fruit of a corrupt deal over his dropped case. Adams called that suit baseless, and a court paused the plan, though I couldn't confirm how the appeal ended.

A woman also sued him in 2023, alleging he sexually assaulted her in 1993 when both worked for the NYPD. Adams flatly denied it, saying the allegation did not happen. I couldn't find a final outcome, so treat it as unresolved allegation, not fact.

Life after City Hall has been messy. In January 2026 he launched an NYC Token crypto coin, pitched as a way to fight antisemitism, and it crashed within hours. Critics alleged a scheme, and Adams rejected the reports as unsupported and denied profiting. Since then he's travelled a lot and became an honorary Albanian citizen.