Craig McCarthy, City Hall Bureau Chief at NY Post Interview

Craig McCarthy talks to Mendte in the Morning about Eric Adams being questioned by Congress over controversial immigration laws.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, Mayor Adams had a very bad, horrible day yesterday.
Not only did a pole come out showing he had
the lowest approval rating yet, but then he was down
in Congress before a House committee on the sanctuary cities
and a couple of the House members that he should resign.
One said he's going to be arrested. So that's a

(00:22):
bad day. That's a bad day for Mayor Adams. Covering
it all is Craig McCarthy. He's the City Hall bureau
chief at the New York Post. Craig, thanks a lot
for doing this this morning.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Thanks for having me on, Larry.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Yeah, no, why are you laughing? Because of the leading
and they're having a very very bad, horrible day. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
I think when you left out and having me a
bad day is the people that were calling him him
to resign and were ruining him yesterday were not the
House Republicans, which the three other mayors he sat with
were facing a series of blistering questions from the GEOP,
but from House Democrats. They laid into him pretty hard

(01:04):
yesterday to Mayor Eric Adams calling him into resign, repeatedly
questioning him about a potential quid pro quote between him
and the Adam and the Trump DJ it was it
was a very you were it was very strange to
see that four Democrats and the one Democrat on there,
you know, getting preferential treatment from the GOP.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Well that that leads us to the poll, because the
poll showed he had a higher approval rating that was
all low by the way, he didn't break fifty percent
in any of the groups, but he had a higher
thirty five percent of Republicans like them, and only seventeen
percent of Democrats thought he's doing a good job. And
so his working with Donald Trump obviously as having an

(01:45):
effect not only on Capitol Hill but in New York City.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yeah, Mayor Adams has always been a moderate Democrat, and
he was always appealed to not just Democratic wingiam Party,
but also Republican winging the party in New York City,
for instance, because it's not as far right in New
York City and it is in other places of the country.
But his boost with Donald Trump, in his close relationship
in the last few months likely had something to do

(02:14):
at least with that partially.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yeah, well, especially with the Democrats. I mean, he is
just cratered with the Democrats and as you said, you
saw it play out on Capitol Hill yesterday. The Democrats
felt in bolden to go after him.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, I mean, this is just the latest poll that
shows him, you know, as an incumbent mayor, which is
almost unheard of to not be leading in the polls.
And it's just the latest example of him losing support
within the party.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
Oh absolutely, and that brings us to this election. Adrian
Adams is in. Now what kind of candidate is Adrian Adams?

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yeah, more news for yesterday. Apparently late last night the
Council Speaker Adrian Adams jumped into the race. Adrian Adams
is going to try to run as a moderate Democrat.
She's going to try to carve out similar voters that
Adams and Cuomo would have grabbed. But also she's been created,
you know, working with members of the council and a

(03:11):
little bit more left key council members over the last
few years. So she's looking to create a coalition that
could kind of cut across the entire Democratic Party. She's
going to get some union support and that's also going
to cut into what Pomo was looking at grabbing.

Speaker 3 (03:25):
In what world is Adrian Adams a moderate? You should
have seen his stunned face. She is one of the
most liberal members of the City Council, isn't she. I mean,
she's on the wrong side of everything. She loves sanctuary cities,
she will she won't talk about ever even bringing it

(03:47):
up for conversation.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
Yeah, I think her views in her position has changed
over the last few years. I mean, she came into
council as a moderate Democrat, her father being you know,
city correct offer. But over the last few years she's
really surrounded herself with bus side from a few the
very more liberal members of the council, and as speaker,

(04:12):
they tend to feed into those and let those cut
the members kind of like run their agendas as well.
And it's going to be she's going to try to
run as a moderate, let's put it that way. Whether
or not the voters and everybody will accept her as that,
we will see going forward.

Speaker 1 (04:28):
Well, I don't think she could probably get away with
running for a moderate until she starts rising in the polls,
and then everybody can go after her because she has
a record in city Council that is far from moderate.
Right now, I mean, with Eric Adams doing so bad
in this poll, you have Cuomo leading in every single

(04:48):
poll when he just got into the race. Is there
anyone else that you see that we should be paying
attention to that could take on Cuomo?

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Well, I think we should all be noting that, you know,
Cuomo was in early polls. It's name recognition. Andrew Cuomo
is widely known by New York City voters. However, he's
never run in such a He's never run in New
York City. He doesn't know New York City media as
well as these other guys, and it's going to be
brutal with with his past. You know, his past history

(05:20):
with with COVID, the allegations of sexual harassment and secialist
conduct and all these other things that are gonna come up.
I think where I keep seeing and in all polls
is that there's there is a lane for a lane
left wing candidate. There's a lane for a Mindani or
a Lander, and that's what we keep seeing over and

(05:41):
over again, that they're the ones that are growing in
support while Andrew Cuomo and since there's no person that's
kind of in that same lane that's not growing.

Speaker 3 (05:52):
Yeah, Mondannie was a surprise. He seemed to come out
of nowhere and then I'm sure you know more about
him than I do. But apparently he's been running a
very good campaign.

Speaker 2 (06:04):
It is, he's running a great campaign. I mean he is.
He came out, he's nowhere, out of nowhere, no name
recognition at all, and the last three polls he's say
second or third. I mean, he's coming up with some
radical ideas city run food stores, free bus routes, free childcare.
But also noted in the last few weeks, since he's

(06:26):
been saying, since he started running, the last few months,
last few weeks, some of the other candets such as
Andrew Cuomo and all these other candets are kind of
plucking away from some of those agendas and maybe not
doing it as far as he he is doing, but
they're bringing in, like I guess, the light version of
those progressive values.

Speaker 1 (06:43):
Well, he's socialist. He calls himself a socialist. So yeah,
it's going to be a fascinating race. So I hope
we get to talk to you again. This has been great,
Thanks Greg, Yeah, have me on wan ever. Oh please.

Speaker 3 (06:55):
Craig McCarthy, City Hall bureau chief at The New York
Post