As Mayor Eric Adams nears the end of his first term, he has embraced an somewhat unorthodox media strategy for a New York City Democrat, appearing regularly on Fox News and with other conservative outlets.
On Saturday, Mr. Adams took things a step further. He participated in an hour-plus interview with Sneako, a conservative online content creator who has faced bans from YouTube and Twitch for spreading misinformation and comments deemed as antisemitic.
During the interview, conducted on the porch of Gracie Mansion, Mr. Adams sat on a patio sofa and smoked cigars with Amber Rose, a conservative influencer, OnlyFans model and a former paramour of Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. His son, Jordan Coleman, sat nearby.
Mr. Adams did not say anything that seemed a departure from most of his recent stances, but it was not what he said that drew criticism; it was that he said it to Sneako, whose real name is Nicolas Kenn De Balinthazy. A day before the interview, Sneako wrote that “Israel is not compatible with Western civilization” on the social media site X.
Representative Ritchie Torres, Democrat of the Bronx, said Sneako was “one of the most virulent antisemites in the world of alternative media.”
“There is no excuse for the mayor meeting with him, let alone gracing him with cigars at Gracie Mansion,” he said.
On Monday, Mr. Adams stressed he did not make or endorse any antisemitic comments during the interview and reiterated his support for Jewish New Yorkers.
“The Jewish residents of this city know where I am. They know what my voice is, and they know that there has not been a stronger voice in politics on fighting against antisemitism,” the mayor said. “No one has done what I’ve done as the mayor of the city.”
Mr. Adams has been a vocal supporter of Israel, traveling to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in a three-day visit in 2023 to emphasize his connection with the city’s Jewish community. The mayor has staunchly condemned the Oct. 7 attacks but has also drawn fire for not speaking as strongly to the plight of Palestinians.
Mr. Adams, who is running as an independent in November, has prioritized seeking the Orthodox Jewish vote. He said he will name his ballot line “EndAntiSemitism” and has taken a flurry of executive actions to show his support for the Jewish community. Behind the scenes, the mayor’s political team has been working to persuade rabbis not to back former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, the front-runner in the June 24 Democratic primary.
Last month, Mr. Adams announced the creation of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism to address rising hate crimes against Jewish New Yorkers. The office is separate from an existing mayoral office designed to fight hate.
The mayor then signed an executive order to recognize the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, a decision that was criticized by civil liberties groups as infringing on the right to express political speech.
Jewish leaders were quick to support Mr. Adams despite the Sneako interview. Rabbi David Niederman, executive director of the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg, Inc., said he had not heard about the interview but had no question about the mayor’s support of Jewish New Yorkers.
“The mayor has been very vocal against antisemitism. His stance against antisemitism is not something new, not political, it’s been like this for years,” Rabbi Niederman said.
The mayor and his team were vague on how the interview came about. Mr. Adams said he was smoking a pre-Father’s Day cigar with Mr. Coleman on Gracie Mansion’s back porch when Sneako showed up at the invitation of another guest at Gracie. (A video of the interview shows the mayor being handed a cigar after Sneako was already seated next to him.)
Asked if Mr. Adams’s son had invited Sneako, Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokeswoman for the mayor, said she did not know and referred a reporter to the mayor’s campaign. Todd Shapiro, a spokesman for the mayor’s campaign, also said he did not know who had invited Sneako.
“I don’t know the young man,” Mr. Adams said. “I’m not familiar with his streaming at all. And he says, ‘I would like to interview you and talk about some of the issues of the day.’ And that’s what we did.”
Antisemitism has become a wedge issue in the Democratic primary for mayor. Mr. Cuomo has called antisemitism the most important issue in the race, and has accused at least three opponents of being antisemitic, especially Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who is second to the governor in most polls.
Mr. Adams, when asked if he should have better vetted a guest to Gracie Mansion, said yes. “Hindsight is 20/20,” he said.
The mayor, citing the “great level of distortion” from legacy media, has sought out coverage from nontraditional venues. But he said that nowadays, anyone with a cellphone can be a streamer or reporter.
“I just try to be authentic and true to who I am,” Mr. Adams said, “so no matter where I’m recorded or who records me, they’re going to see the authentic Eric.”
Jeffery C. Mays is a Times reporter covering politics with a focus on New York City Hall.
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