Zohran Mamdani seems to have won all hearts but one. The Mayor-elect of New York has had one critic since the start, who is now keen to obstruct his plans in any way he can. Here’s how the feud between Mamdani and Eric Adams can become his Achilles heel during his stint as the Mayor of the Big Apple.
Mamdani, 34, managed to emerge victorious in the NYC mayoral race after winning over the people with his promises to make the city a better place to live in. Throughout his campaign, a Democratic Socialist, as he identifies, assured people that he would make the city a more affordable place to live in.
BREAKING:
Zohran Mamdani officially wins the New York City Democratic mayoral primary with 56% of the vote. pic.twitter.com/vmc0mfPHhj
— Globe Eye News (@GlobeEyeNews) July 1, 2025
With promises of rent freezes to free buses, much to Trump’s displeasure, Mamdani won the election. The President had been a staunch critic of the 34-year-old in the months leading up to the election.
He even threatened to cut off NYC’s federal funding if Mamdani were elected as Mayor. The two seemed to have clearly turned a new page if Zohran’s White House visit was evidence.
The President gushed about the 34-year-old and was more than willing to support Mamdani during his stint. The Democratic Socialist who seems to be winning hearts left and right seems to have failed when it comes to Eric Adams.
Adams, who himself ran a campaign for the 2025 mayoral runoff and then dropped out, has been very vocal about his disapproval of Mamdani. PBS reported how the former Mayor claimed that “insidious forces” were at play and pushing “divisive agendas.”
Even though Adams refrained from naming names, his statement seemed like a vague jab at Mamdani. “I urge New Yorkers to choose leaders not by what they promise, but by what they have delivered,” he added while warning New Yorkers.
This could be taken as a conclusive jab towards Mamdani, considering his lack of experience compared to the other candidates like Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.
Adams, who appeared on Fox and Friends in June, did not hesitate to let his bias towards Mamdani show. He labeled the 34-year-old a ‘snake oil salesman’ while criticizing his affordability proposals.
Adams seems to be moving to complicate Mamdani’s plans ahead of his swearing-in. A piece of land located in Little Italy played a central role in Zohran’s promise for affordable housing.
The Mayor-elect planned on using the patch of land to build affordable housing units in the Elizabeth Street Garden. 40% of those units would be designated for homeless individuals. Adams decided to intervene in Mamdani’s efforts by trying to ensure that the same land is declared as a permanently designated parkland.
Eric Adams rips socialist Zohran Mamdani as ‘snake oil salesman’ after shocking NYC Dem mayoral primary victory https://t.co/41cc0wxBAL pic.twitter.com/V2EK6HasaJ
— New York Post (@nypost) June 25, 2025
In an interview with CBS, Mamdani called out Adams for his very transparent effort of making sure that his promise of affordable housing remains just that, a promise. “It is no surprise that Mayor Adams is using his final weeks and months to cement a legacy of dysfunction and inconsistency,” the now Mayor-elect noted.
Adams, undeterred by Mamdani’s criticism, took it one step further by allegedly attempting to appoint his own allies to the Rent Guidelines Board. It is safe to say that the former Mayor is going to make Mamdani’s stint as complicated as possible with his now-limited authority and power.
