New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, announced on Thursday that he will not seek the party's nomination but will run his re-election campaign as an independent candidate.

Adams, who rarely posts on his personal X account, shared a video announcing his decision. The announcement stood in sharp contrast to his two most recent prior posts from the summer of 2024, when he had voiced support for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election.

'I have never seen anyone do such a good job of defining that deep state.'

Just a few months later, Adams was effectively on the outs with Democrats, facing a federal corruption lawsuit shortly after he criticized the Biden administration for fueling the nation's illegal immigration crisis.

Adams wrote on Thursday, "I have always put New York's people before politics and party—and I always will. I am running for mayor in the general election because our city needs independent leadership that understands working people."

In his six-minute video, Adams discussed the grit of New Yorkers, the "bogus case" against him, and the other mayoral candidates.

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While he stood by his decision to call out the Biden administration for its immigration failures, he stopped short of severing ties with the Democratic Party.

"Some leaders choose rhetoric over results and fail to make working people their North Star. But the values of the working-class base — pro-public safety, pro-worker, pro-quality of life — are still there standing strong even if many who share them have left the party," he stated. "I had hoped to fight for them again in a Democratic primary for mayor."

"But the dismissal of the bogus case against me dragged on too long, making it impossible to mount a primary campaign while these false accusations were held over me," Adams continued. "Though I am still a Democrat, I am announcing that I will forego the Democratic primary for mayor and appeal directly to all New Yorkers as an independent candidate in the general election."

Adams acknowledged that the accusations against him in the corruption case "may have shaken" New Yorkers' confidence in him. He maintained his innocence, but expressed regret for "trust[ing] people I should not have."

He slammed his opponents without naming any mayoral candidates specifically.

"Some were advocating against more police, even if they are for them now," Adams said. "Some were fighting the pro-growth strategies of our administration. Some even sought to limit housing production. Some voted to give more of your tax dollars to other cities and towns in this state while refusing to change laws that let dangerous criminals run wild on our streets. And some sat at home and did absolutely nothing."

The mayor boasted his administration's record on housing, crime reduction, job creation, and benefit disbursements for low-income New Yorkers.

Adams admitted that he made mistakes.

"But it was not a mistake to invest more in housing than any other mayor. It wasn't a mistake to put a cop on every train. It wasn't a mistake to increase the value of housing vouchers and earn income tax credit to the highest levels ever," he stated.

"And it wasn't a mistake to put politics aside, defy my party when needed, and speak for the voice of working New Yorkers," Adams declared.

'Trump derangement syndrome is real.'

On Wednesday, the same day the indictment against Adams was dropped, comedian Andrew Schulz released a new episode of his podcast, "Flagrant," featuring an interview with the mayor. The two spoke about New York City's immigration crisis, Adams' decision to criticize the Biden administration, and the accusations against him.

Adams encouraged Schulz to read FBI Director Kash Patel's book, "Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy."

Schulz asked, "Is this what people refer to — and I think this word has been used too much, but the 'deep state,' or whatever it is?"

"It's not used too much," Adams responded. "It's real, brother."

"I have never seen anyone do such a good job of defining that deep state," he continued, referring to Patel. "You should have him on your show."

When asked whether legal immigrants should be afraid under the Trump administration, Adams responded by torching those on the left who have spread false rumors that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has targeted individuals with legal status.

"When I'm moving around my immigrant communities, and they share with me, 'We're afraid. We're afraid to go to school, work, church, etc.' Why are they afraid?" Adams asked. "The activists who love this hysteria are giving the impression that all the sudden ICE is going into our schools and taking our children, going into hospitals — that's just not true."

He declared that "Trump derangement syndrome is real" and expressed disappointment that the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to root out waste and fraud had become politicized by the president's critics.

Adams also blasted the Biden administration for placing parents on the FBI watchlist for being concerned about what their children were being taught in public schools.

"I'm telling you, read Kash's book," he told Schulz.

One source close to Adams told the New York Post, "Now that this case is gone and he's running in the general, you're going to see a very 'f*** you' mentality from him."

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