NYC Mayor Eric Adams has not been offered Trump administration job, his spokesman says

A spokesman for New York City Mayor Eric Adams denied a published report Wednesday that the Trump administration has offered him a position at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in exchange for bowing out of his bid for reelection.

Appointing Adams to an administrative post — along with a potential position for GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa — is seen as a way to clear the crowded mayoral field for former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in an eleventh hour attempt to stop Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani.

"Although Mayor Adams has been the most pro-housing mayor in New York City’s history, at no time did he ask for — nor was he offered — a job at HUD," Adams campaign spokesman Todd Shapiro said in a statement. "Over the last few years, the mayor has shown his ability to block out the noise and stay focused on delivering for New Yorkers."

Shapiro added that if a HUD position does open up, Cuomo, the department's former secretary during the Clinton administration "can always continue where he left off."

The New York Times on Wednesday reported that Trump advisers had discussed jobs for Adams and Sliwa, while Politico reported that a job offer at HUD had been extended to the mayor.

In an interview Wednesday morning with Fox 5 New York, Adams, who is running as an independent, said that he met with "several elected officials" dung a visit this week to Florida — where President Donald Trump maintains a permanent residence — and did not give a definite "no" when asked directly if he was considering dropping out of the race.

"If there’s any changes in this race, I will announce that," Adams said.

In April, a federal judge dismissed corruption charges against the mayor at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice, which argued the case would prevent Adams from assisting in the White House's mass deportation program.

White House officials have declined to comment on their reported efforts to thwart Mamdani, a democratic socialist leading in the polls, and to consolidate support around Cuomo.

In a post on X, Mamdani argued that "Cuomo is Trump’s choice for Mayor. The White House is considering jobs for Adams and Sliwa to clear the field. New Yorkers are sick of corrupt politics and backroom deals."

Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo, who is running as a third-party candidate after losing to Mamdani in the June Democratic primary, did not respond to a request for comment.

In an X post on Wednesday, Azzopardi said there was "no truth" to the allegation that Cuomo's campaign is in discussions with Trump.

Meanwhile, Sliwa, who typically polls third — ahead of Adams but behind Mamdani and Cuomo — said in a statement that the "White House has not contacted me, and I'm not interested in a job with the White House. My focus is right here in New York."

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.