New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is set to leave office this week, said on Tuesday he will be attending the inauguration of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani after all.
The outgoing mayor revealed he made the decision after speaking with his successor.
“We communicated this afternoon, and he made it clear that he would like for me to attend, and I would like to be there to show the smooth, peaceful transition of power. We both know how important that is,” Adams said in an interview with WABC Radio. “I just wanted to make sure that, as I said to him, ‘I don’t want to do anything to disrupt this important moment in history.’”
Recounting what Mamdani told him, Adams added, “Eric … It would be good to see you there.”
It appears Adams made the decision fairly quickly, considering on Monday he was unsure whether to attend Thursday’s ceremony. The mayor noted while he was initially hesitant to be present because Mamdani’s supporters “protest everything,” he remained open to it and wanted to speak with the mayor-elect first before committing to an inauguration appearance.
Adams’s attendance at his former rival’s inauguration previously remained uncertain in light of their campaign attacks against each other.
ADAMS UNSURE HE’LL ATTEND MAMDANI INAUGURATION, SAYS MAYOR-ELECT’S FANS ‘PROTEST EVERYTHING’
Although simmering tensions between the two remain, the tone has been rather conciliatory since Mamdani’s sweeping election victory in November. Adams dropped out of the mayoral race weeks before the general election in which Mamdani bested Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani’s private swearing-in ceremony will take place in a decommissioned subway station beneath City Hall, where the oath of office will be administered by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will then preside over the public swearing-in ceremony on the steps of City Hall, while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) will deliver opening remarks.