New York City Mayor Eric Adams differed Saturday with Vice President Kamala Harris’s Wednesday labeling of former President Donald Trump as a fascist.
Adams — together with Deputy Mayor Chauncey Parker, New York City Police Department (NYPD) interim commissioner Tom Donlon and other NYPD leadership — was speaking at a security briefing ahead of former President Trump’s Sunday rally at Madison Square Garden.
Adams, when asked by Politico political reporter Emily Ngo if he believed Trump was fascist, said, “My answer is ‘no.’ I know what Hitler has done, and I know what a fascist regime looks like.”
Adams then claimed some political leaders in New York City had “hurled” the terms “fascist” and “Hitler” at him as well.
“I think — as I’ve called over and over again — that the level of conversation — I think we could all dial down the temperature,” he said.
“There’s no agency in the world better prepared to ensure the safety of this event than the NYPD,” Parker added.
In response to critics who demanded Trump not hold the rally, Adams said, “I strongly disagree. This is America. This is New York. And I think it’s important to allow individuals to exercise their right to get their message clear to New Yorkers. And our job as a city and as a police department is to make sure that you do that in a peaceful way.
“I think that we must be extremely cautious of— the heat we turn up today, pre-election, is going to have to be the heat we’ll have to govern in,” Adams added.
During a Wednesday presidential town hall event, Harris, when asked by CNN’s Anderson Cooper whether she thought Trump was a fascist, said, “Yes, I do. Yes, I do. And I also believe that the people who know him best on this subject should be trusted.”
Harris was referencing Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, and the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired General Mark Milley. (RELATED: Kamala Harris Calls Trump ‘Fascist’ In CNN Town Hall)
Kelley called Trump a fascist during recent interviews with The New York Times. Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung fired back, saying Kelly had “beclowned” himself. Trump also responded, labeling Milley a “lowlife,” “a total degenerate” and a “bad general,” CBS News reported.
Thirteen former Trump administration officials have openly backed Kelly’s claim, according to Politico.
Milley called Trump “the most dangerous person to this country” and “a fascist to the core,” according to an upcoming book by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward. Milley also feared being court-martialed should Trump become president again, the Guardian reported.
Trump had confirmed in early October that his campaign rented the iconic Madison Square Garden for the major rally. The arena previously hosted a number of key political events in U.S. history, according to The Associated Press.
Trump and Adams both attended the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York City on Oct. 17 to benefit charity. As part of the annual event’s lighthearted proceedings, Trump made several jokes about the absent Harris as well as prominent Democrats seated nearby on the dias, including Adams and indictment over bribery charges.
