Eric Adams eyed by Trump for Saudi Arabia ambassadorship

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump’s administration is considering New York City Mayor Eric Adams for an ambassadorship to Saudi Arabia, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.

The potential post comes as Adams, mired in the single digits in polls, is facing pressure to drop his bid for a second term in order to consolidate the field and halt the momentum of front runner Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist.

The ambassadorship discussion was first reported Friday morning by The New York Times.

Adams in a statement insisted he had not been offered a job, but left the door open to accepting one.

“Serving New Yorkers as their mayor is the only job I’ve ever wanted. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made lowering crime, improving schools, building housing, and cutting costs for working families — and I remain the best person to lead this city forward,” the mayor said. “While I will always listen if called to serve our country, no formal offers have been made. I am still running for reelection, and my full focus is on the safety and quality of life of every New Yorker.”

Trump on Thursday evening said he didn’t want “a communist” elected mayor and supported a winnowed two-person race.

Adams’ exit would give a boost to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who shares a base of moderate, older and blue-collar voters with the mayor. Republican Curtis Sliwa has vowed he will not leave the race and has been polling in third place behind Cuomo.

Adams in recent days has also discussed a potential post at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Aside from that post and the Saudi ambassadorship, diplomatic posts at several other Persian Gulf states have been floated to Adams, according to a different person with direct knowledge of that situation.

The mayor met this week with Trump’s team in Florida, a sit-down that reportedly included presidential envoy Steve Witkoff.

Talk of Trump appointing Adams to an administration post follows the mayor in July rescuing the gambling company Bally’s bid to build a casino at a Bronx golf course. If Bally’s bid is approved, the company would pay $115 million to the Trump Organization, the former operator of the site.

Adams has publicly denied that he’s spoken to Trump about any jobs and brushed off questions about getting pressured to step aside.

“My life has been pressure. That's what my life is. Pressure. No pressure, no diamonds,” he said Thursday. “You're supposed to succumb to that? That's not what I do.”

Top New York Democrats — Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — are also under pressure to endorse the 33-year-old Mamdani’s upstart bid.

Hochul on Friday condemned the Republican president’s efforts to meddle in the mayoral race.

“Contrary to what the president thinks, he’s not a king,” she said. “He’s not a kingmaker. He should not be anointing the next mayor of New York City… no one should be accepting that assistance.”

Trump’s allies in the New York business community have become increasingly alarmed by Mamdani’s first-place status in the race. Hedge fund titan Bill Ackman, who contributed to a Cuomo-allied super PAC during the primary only to later cool on the former governor’s general election chances, wrote on X Thursday night that Adams should leave the race.

“The greatest contribution he can make to NYC is to announce tomorrow that he is not going to run for reelection and that he is going to throw his support behind@andrewcuomo,” Ackman wrote.

Cuomo has repeatedly denied wanting Trump’s help to win the mayoralty. Privately to donors last month, however, the former governor said the president would help him win over Republican voters. Cuomo also insists he has not spoken to Trump recently about the campaign.

Adams has had Saudi Arabia on his mind this week, mentioning a previous trip to the country unprompted while speaking at a campaign event with Muslim leaders Thursday.

“Those who are of the Muslim faith, close to a million here in the city of New York, crossing the entire span of the globe, they matter,” he said. “And when I visited Saudi Arabia, when I visited Jordan, when I visited Oman when I visit part of the African diaspora and watched the Muslim population there, they truly believe in peace, they believe in forgiveness, and they believe in the prosperity of the countries they are in, and particularly this city.”