Biden to meet with New York City Mayor Eric Adams amid surge in violent crime

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Funeral honors slain NYPD Det. Wilbert Mora

Correspondent Bryan Llenas describes the funeral for fallen NYPD Det. Wilbert Mora on 'Special Report.'

President Biden is traveling to New York City on Thursday to meet with Mayor Eric Adams to discuss ways federal and local law enforcement can collaborate to combat gun crime and further invest in putting more police officers on the beat amid a surge in violent crime in the city. 

The president’s trip to the nation's largest city comes after thousands of uniformed police officers from across the nation traveled to Manhattan to pay their respects to fallen NYPD officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora, who were shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call last month.

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"The president is going to New York City because it is a community where they continue, like many other cities across the country, to experience a spike in gun violence as a result of the pandemic," a senior administration official said. "This is a place where the city has successfully deployed many strategies like those the president supports."

President Biden delivers remarks on the debt ceiling during an event in the State Dining Room of the White House, Monday, Oct. 4 in Washington.  (Associated Press)

Biden and Adams, joined also by Attorney General Merrick Garland and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, will meet Thursday at the New York Police Department headquarters.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a news conference in Brooklyn, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. (Associated Press)

The relationship between Biden and Adams has seemingly gotten off on the right foot, as the New York City mayor said he looked forward to welcoming the president to the city and to working together "collaboratively to end the scourge of gun violence we are seeing on New York City streets."

Democrats' resistance

Biden in recent weeks met with resistance from some high-profile Democrats in states like Georgia and Pennsylvania ahead of his visits. Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams had a "scheduling conflict" when the president visited the state to make remarks about voting rights.

And last week, Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman and Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro, who currently serves as the state’s attorney general, both refused Biden’s invitation to join him in Pittsburgh, also citing scheduling conflicts.

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But in New York City, Biden will be met with open arms, as Adams this week boasted during a news conference that the two "just really like each other."

"You know, we just got to hang out together, you know. That’s my dude," Adams said, going so far as to call himself the "Biden of Brooklyn."

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"This is a great city, and I’m the Biden of Brooklyn," Adams said. "And I love the fact that the president is coming here."

Adams said he met with Biden after his mayoral campaign.

"We spoke and we just connected, you know," Adams said. "And I’m sure if you were to ask him, ‘What is his favorite mayor?’ He’d clearly tell you, ‘It’s Eric."

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Monday wasn’t the first time Adams referred to himself as the "Biden of Brooklyn." During his campaign, Adams said he and Biden like "blue-collar guys."

‘Ordinary Joe’

"He is comfortable around everyday people. And you could just tell that when you’re in his presence, he’s just, you know, he’s ordinary Joe," Adams said. "He knows the people, but the people know him."

"He’s a guy that can bear the weight of the city, but that you don’t mind having a beer with," he added.

The White House, in previewing the visit, said Biden will discuss his administration’s "comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime," which they say includes the "historic levels of funding" for cities and states to put more police officers "on the beat" and invest in community violence prevention and intervention programs. 

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The White House also said the president will discuss stepped-up federal law enforcement efforts against illegal gun traffickers.

During his campaign, Adams said he believed there would be a "coordinated effort between the president, the governor and the mayor to go after the flow of guns in our city."

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Adams, a retired NYPD captain, pledged to make fighting crime a priority during his time as mayor and announced last month that he was fulfilling a campaign promise and bringing back a new version of the once-controversial plainclothes anti-gun unit that was disbanded by former Mayor Bill de Blasio during the height of the defund-the-police movement.

Adams has also said he has a "true ally in the White House" and touted Biden’s record, tweeting last month that he "knows what it takes to keep our streets safe."

"His support will be invaluable in getting the job done," Adams tweeted.

New York City saw 485 people murdered last year, a slight increase from 2020. It also experienced a sharp rise in hate crimes and an increase in almost all categories of major crimes. Additionally, subway crimes are up 65% so far in 2022.

"New Yorkers feel as if a sea of violence is engulfing our city. But as your mayor, I promise you, I will not let this happen. We will not surrender our city to the violent few," Adams said at City Hall on Monday. "Gun violence is a public health crisis. There’s no time to wait. We must act." 

Fox News' Michael Lee, Andrew Mark Miller and The Associated Press contributed to this report.