Goodbye party mayor. Hello Hizz–influencer.
New York Mayor Eric Adams is going all-in on social media as he seeks reelection – including posting influencer standards like “GRWM” videos (that’s “get ready with me” for those who have lives offline) and memes of himself.
We noticed the mayor’s Instagram has been featuring content more familiar from the accounts of TikTok superstars like Charlie D’Amelio than politicians, such as his “make a smoothie with me” and his “day in the life” videos, which, yes, feature footage of him doing mundane activities like ironing.
In fact, his loyal following is so impressed with his ironing they’ve been stopping him on the street to ask about it… according to him.
“You know, the number of people who stop me, and say, ‘You iron your pants!’,” he claimed to Don Lemon on his YouTube show. Adams said that he even irons his own shirts and, “if I take them from the laundry, re-iron them because i want them to look crisp and look right.”
Adams appeared on Lemon’s streaming platform after he launched his mayoral re-election bid at City Hall on Thursday. He indicated that he’ll be appearing on more streaming platforms because “people in legacy media made the decision we’re not going to cover this guy,” he said.
“Steaming allows me to talk directly to consumers. Social media is crucial, and we’re not going to make the mistake that other people made,” he said after Lemon asked about the role social media is playing in the campaign.
“You have to respect the game. Social media is the game. If you want to hate the player, you better at least respect the game,” he said.
Adams added that it’s imperative for people “to see you outside that suit and tie.”
“I’m just a regular human being that go through good days and bad days. I want to be who I am in an authentic way,” he said. Even if it means, “I’m out somewhere, smoking a cigar or drinking a Titos or bourbon… No, I’m not hiding who I am. I’m showing you who I am every day,” he said.
Perhaps the mayor will start livesteaming his party nights at Zero Bond. We can only hope
Influencer Adams aside, the mayor opened up to Lemon about President Donald Trump pardoning him amid a historic bribery and corruption federal indictment that could have landed him in prison for 35 years. “I was targeted and I’m not going to allow people to tell me I wasn’t targeted… I knew I did nothing wrong. Did I break the law? No, I did not,” he said.
Adams claimed he had people around him who acted “inappropriately” and “people hurt me.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong. There were people around me and they did things that were inappropriate,” he said.
As for a Trump endorsement for his re-election? “I will accept an endorsement of support from anyone who loves this city and believes this city should move forward,” he said.
