MAYOR ON WINS: Adams is 'riding with Biden,' plans sit-down with lawmaker over cop's 'pretty nasty bite'

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – In an interview with 1010 WINS on Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams said he fully supports President Joe Biden as he continues to face pressure to drop out of 2024 race ahead of the Democratic convention next month.

“I’m riding with Biden,” Adams told WINS anchor Scott Stanford when asked where he stands on the president staying in the race following his widely panned debate performance with former President Donald Trump.

The debate was three weeks ago, but a steady stream of Democrats have continued to call for Biden to drop out of the race, calls he has rejected . Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have spoken privately to the president in recent days to express their opinions, which they haven’t aired publicly.

“I believe that what he has done in this country, around the economy, around public safety—and even in the areas where I disagree,” Adams said. “I look at the totality of a person’s work. Clearly, I believe that he could continue to move this country in the right direction.”

“For Sen. Schumer, as the leader of the Senate, it’s important to continue to retain the Senate,” Adams said. “And I had a brief conversation with Congressman Jeffries; he’s focused on those seats that he needs to take over Congress.”

The assassination attempt on Trump last weekend took attention away from Biden’s political woes, but they’ve resurfaced this week with the Republican National Convention underway in Milwaukee, and as Democrats plan to make Biden their nominee ahead of the Democratic National Convention begins Aug. 19 in Chicago.

“I believe that the Democratic Party will come together and put the right plan together,” Adams said.

ARREST OF COUNCILMEMBER

The mayor also commented on the arrest of Councilmember Susan Zhuang , who was cuffed Wednesday after she allegedly bit an NYPD officer at a protest over a homeless shelter in Bensonhurst.

“I like Susan,” Adams said of the fellow Democrat. “I’m disappointed on what happened in this unfortunate situation.”

“I think she’s a new young councilperson that wants to advocate on behalf of her community, and these are extremely emotional issues that we’re talking about,” he continued. “But it was a pretty nasty bite that the chief received from the councilperson.”

Adams said he’ll reach out to Zhuang to “sit down with her, you know, try to resolve this issue. But it was really unfortunate. She has always been an advocate for law enforcement.”

SUBWAY CRIME DROP

The mayor also touted a “massive” drop in subway crime , which he held a press conference about on Wednesday. According to officials, transit crime is down 26.6% over the past month and 7.8% year to date.

At Wednesday’s event, Adams said the city would be introducing weapons detectors near subway turnstiles at selection locations “in the next few days.”

“I am a big believer in technology,” the mayor told WINS. “It’s a gun-detection technology that can detect if someone is carrying a firearm on their person.”

Adams said if the initial rollout of the detectors proves successful “we’re going to see an evolution of how we protect our subway system.”

BRONX POT BUST

New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda also joined Adams on the WINS interview to discuss a major cannabis bust in the Bronx this week amid a citywide crackdown on unlicensed stores, dubbed Operation Padlock to Protect.

According to Miranda, more than $3 million in products were seized from operators warehousing illegal cannabis and psilocybin products in Throgs Neck, as well as from a deli where illicit products were allegedly found in the vents.

“It’s truly based and driven on information received from the community,” Miranda said of the operation, which has so far busted over 630 businesses, issued $51 million in civil penalties and seized an estimated $20 million in products.

“It would have been difficult for us to identify this location because it was a normal deli,” Adams added. “But because the community gave us information, we were able to see that deli was just a cover.”

OUTGOING FDNY COMMISSIONER

FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh announced this week that she is leaving the role soon to focus on her family and friends. Kavanagh has led the department's charge against lithium-ion batteries following a number of deadly fires, even taking the fight to Washington, D.C., but her tenure has also been marked by tensions within the fire department. “Life is short,” she wrote in an essay published Wednesday. “No place has taught me that more profoundly than the FDNY.”

“I cannot thank her enough,” Adam said of the FDNY's first female commissioner. “She announced that she was going to do something else in her life, and that's expected. You know, being in charge of these agencies are challenging.”

Kavanagh’s successor hasn’t yet been named. “We’re going to look at many of the people who we believe are in this city that can actually do a job as well as she has done in her time in office,” the mayor said.