On May 16, 2025, New York City Mayor Eric Adams appeared on CNN’s “The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer” to discuss the ongoing commuter rail strike affecting the nation’s third-largest rail service and the establishment of a new office to combat antisemitism. Addressing the strike, Adams outlined coordinated efforts with New Jersey officials, including deploying shuttles, implementing traffic mitigation systems, and using Notify NYC to keep commuters informed. On antisemitism, he highlighted the disproportionate impact on Jewish New Yorkers, who represent 10 percent of the city’s population but accounted for 61 percent of hate crime complaints in early 2025. The new office will proactively address antisemitism by monitoring city communications, reviewing procurement contracts, and promoting initiatives like Breaking Bread, Building Bonds. Adams also emphasized protecting First Amendment rights while ensuring protests do not infringe on others’ safety, and clarified his Independent candidacy for re-election, rejecting claims of political alignment with former President Trump.
Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live on CNN’s “The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer”
Wolf Blitzer: Right now, an overnight strike has brought the nation’s third largest commuter rail service to a grinding halt. Engineers walked off the job after labor negotiations broke down, spelling potential chaos for rail commuters in the region this morning.
Joining us now is the New York City Mayor, Eric Adams. Mayor, thanks so much for joining us. How are you and other city officials preparing for the possibility that this rail strike drags on and on, not just for days, but maybe weeks?
So many thousands and thousands of people in New Jersey, for example, need to come to work in New York City, your city. What can you do to help solve this problem?
Mayor Eric Adams: And we are connected, both New York and New Jersey. We coordinate together on so many different aspects of how we govern life in both our states. And so we’re going to make sure that we deploy the proper manpower, have shuttles in place.
We are going to utilize our Notify NYC to keep people up to date on the continuous movement and negotiations and what will happen if there is a major impact on transportation, traffic mitigations, systems are being put in place right now. So our teams are meeting and we’re ready. This region is prepared for any unforeseen circumstances when it comes down to striking.
Blitzer: Thousands of workers who normally would take a train to come and work in New York are staying home and working from home, and that causes other related problems, as you know, as well. I want to get to this major announcement you just made also, mayor, the creation of a new office to fight antisemitism in New York City, New York City, of course, the home to the largest Jewish population in the United States. The move comes amid a surge of antisemitic hate crimes. Why do you think this new task force is necessary? And give us a sense of how it will work.
Mayor Adams: Well, first, we had a Mayor’s Office to fight against hate already. We had that office in place because you do have cases when you have 8.5 million people, a small number of them use hate to communicate in their ways or to be harmful to others.
So we had that office in place already. But what we noticed in 2024, out of the large number or the number of complaints we receive around hate crimes or acts of hate of the Jewish population makes up 10 percent of the city. But they were over 51 percent of the complaints. And then in the first quarter of 2025, that same 10 percent population was over 61 percent of the complaints.
We knew we had to zero in on that problem. And so this office is not only going to be dealing with hate crimes, but holistically is feeding antisemitism. And what could we do to really stop these cases from taking place and elevate it to the point of being a crime? We want to go after those areas even prior to criminality.
Blitzer: So what are you to do specifically to stop this growth in antisemitism?
Mayor Adams: Yeah, there’s a couple of things. Number one, we need to look at what’s playing out on our college campuses. You’re seeing a great deal of not only anti-Jewish sentiments, but even anti-American sentiments. They seem to be tied together.
And also we’re looking at what we’re having in our public schools. We saw two newsletters that went out that really gave the impression of lifting up Hamas and what Hamas stands for. Hamas is a terrorist, dangerous organization, and that cannot be tolerated within our public school system. And then we want to be proactive with what we call Breaking Bread, Building Bonds.
We had over 1,000 dinners in the last few years where people are sitting down and communicating with each other and then looking at information that’s been printed, that’s sent out. Any agencies within the city that [are] having any form of procurement contracts with entities that are dealing with hate or antisemitism. And so it’s about being really not only reactive to the cases that come up, but also proactive.
Blitzer: As you know, mayor, some free speech activists are concerned that foreign students attending schools in the United States are being targeted by federal immigration authorities for their pro-Palestinian viewpoints. How will you ensure First Amendment rights are protected while also fighting antisemitism?
Mayor Adams: Well, think about it, Wolf. [Last year] we had over 3,000 protests that came after the October 7th attacks. 3,000. People were able to voice their concerns, exercise their right to free speech.
This city, when you look at the various protests, exercising of free speech, people giving their views with 8.5 million people. We do it in an orderly fashion. We allow people to do so. You can look at the marches that have occurred in the city, because that’s what we believe in. This is a city where free speech is crucial and important.
And I always share with people, not only have I marched in protests, but I’ve also protected marchers as a police officer. So I’m always going to stand fast on the right to have free speech. But free speech cannot destroy property, cannot break into buildings, cannot harass those who are trying to enter college campuses, and cannot threaten individuals. And so there is a clear distinction between your right to express yourself and not your right to infringe on the rights of others.
Blitzer: Well, good luck with this new task force. A political question, mayor, before I let you go. I know that last month you announced you’re running for re-election as mayor of New York, but as an Independent, not necessarily as a Democrat. Curtis Sliwa, who’s running as a Republican, says you’re “A Trump candidate in this race.” Are you, what he says, a Trump candidate?
Mayor Adams: Well, first of all, you know you said Curtis Sliwa. And as soon as you say that, you know you’re going to deal with a high level of buffoonery. And you shouldn’t even acknowledge the existence of his comments, because he’s not realistic in what he’s doing.
Anyone as a grown man that’s still walking around with a red cap on his head, you have to question what they’re doing. I am an Independent candidate, and anyone who has followed me for over forty years of public service, you’ll see the consistency in my message.
And I said over and over again, and people have yet to answer the question, what have I said or done differently from prior to this election to post-election? The same message, public safety, protecting the rights of New Yorkers, going after dangerous gang members who want to come to our country and create harm.
I’ve been fighting for that pre-election, and I’m still fighting for that post-election. And I’m going to collaborate with the president of the United States that’s currently in office, like I did with the previous president of the United States, President Biden. I’m consistent, and I’m going to remain consistent.
Blitzer: Mayor Eric Adams of New York, thanks so much for joining us.
Mayor Adams: Thank you.
May 16, 2025 Manhattan, New York
Sources: NYC.gov , Big New York news BigNY.com
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