‘Came in to thank me’: Eric Adams meets Donald Trump at White House after DOJ drops corruption case

Mayor Eric Adams met US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday in a meeting that Adams framed as a policy discussion but one that left behind more political questions than answers.Adams’ office said the visit aimed to push for federal support on infrastructure and social services. The mayor highlighted projects such as a wind farm off Long Island and plans for semiconductor manufacturing, saying in a video shared online, “We must have a dialogue with the White House.”However, Trump downplayed the meeting, telling reporters, “Almost nothing. He came in to say hello. He was very nice… I think he actually came in to thank me.”As reported by The New York Times, the timing of the visit was sensitive. It came the same day nearly 2,000 pages of documents were unsealed related to Adams’ abandoned federal corruption case. The files revealed that FBI agents and prosecutors were still seizing phones and pursuing search warrants in early February, just days before senior justice department officials intervened to shut the case down.Federal prosecutors had been investigating Adams since 2021 over campaign donations and free travel allegedly provided in exchange for political favours. Though Adams was charged last year, the case was dropped in February by Trump’s justice department, citing concerns it hindered Adams’ ability to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.The move triggered resignations from at least eight federal prosecutors, including acting US attorney in Manhattan Danielle Sassoon. US district judge Dale E Ho later dismissed the charges but criticised what appeared to be a quid pro quo, “dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions.”Since the case ended, Adams has not only avoided criticising Trump but has aligned himself with the administration. As per ABC New York, he previously agreed to re-open Rikers Island to ICE agents and met with immigration chief Tom Homan. In February, he defended his approach, “I can't get into a yelling match just because it feels good. I have to produce for this city.”Still, critics say the mayor’s closeness to Trump is troubling. “Adams already gave up his independence as mayor to save himself from criminal prosecution,” said state senator Zellnor Myrie, who is running against him. Comptroller Brad Lander called the mayor’s posture “the most humiliating capitulation imaginable.”