Indicted NYC Mayor Headed to Mar-a-Lago

Everyone's headed down to South Florida these days to pay a visit to President-elect Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate, and now Eric Adams will join those ranks. A rep for the New York City mayor, Fabien Levy, tells the AP that Adams will be meeting with Trump on Friday to "discuss New Yorkers' priorities," and that Adams "looks forward to having a productive conversation with the incoming president on how we can move our city and country forward." The Democratic Adams, who syncs up with Trump and the GOP on some immigration issues, has already met with incoming border czar Tom Homan.

Both the AP and New York Times note that Adams and Trump have spoken warmly of each other in the past, though a source tells the Times that it was Adams who requested this meeting. A spokeswoman for Adams says that no officials other than Adams' bodyguards will accompany him to Florida, and New York City will pick up the tab for his travels, as the trip has a "city purpose." "Mayor Adams has made quite clear his willingness to work with President-elect Trump and his incoming administration on behalf of New Yorkers—and that partnership with the federal government is critical to New York City's success," Levy says in a statement.

The trip is of interest not only because Adams is a prominent Democrat leading a major US city—he's also awaiting trial on federal corruption charges against him, and Trump has hinted previously that a pardon for Adams could be on the table. Adams has similarly expressed openness to accepting that pardon. The president-elect could also put the squeeze on the DOJ to simply drop the charges against the New York City mayor, notes the AP. "Eric Adams should state immediately that he will not seek or accept a pardon from Donald Trump," says New York City comptroller Brad Lander, per the Times. "New Yorkers deserve to know that their mayor is putting their interests ahead of his own." (More Eric Adams stories.)