CNN’s John Berman Grills Eric Adams on His Claim That Rivals Yang and Garcia Are Teaming Up to Stop a Person of Color
CNN’s John Berman questioned New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams about his claim that the alliance between two of his rivals — Kathryn Garcia and Andrew Yang — is an effort to stop a person of color from winning the race.
“For them to come together like they are doing in the last three days, they’re saying we can’t trust a person of color to be the mayor of the City of New York when this city is overwhelmingly people of color,” Adams said, according to the New York Times.
Yang responded on Sunday at a press conference: “I would tell Eric Adams that I’ve been Asian my entire life.”
In a Monday appearance on CNN’s New Day, host John Berman asked Adams: “Listen, two of your main opponents, Kathryn Garcia and Andrew yang campaigned together over the weekend. That seemed to bother you. Why?”
“Well because it just sent the wrong message,” Adams replied. “It was on June 19th, Juneteenth, a federal holiday that was just signed into law. They sent a sent a signal as you have all of the African American and Hispanic candidates in the race. What message were you sending during this time that we’re talking about how do you empower various ethnic groups in politics.”
Berman pressed Adams to be clearer: “You tell me what message do you think they are sending by campaigning together?”
“Well Kathryn Garcia, number one she’s stated that she’s not endorsing Andrew Yang and Andrew Yang stated that he is endorsing her. And his attitude was just basically ‘we want to make sure that we’re keeping Adams and others out of the place of mayor.’ It just sends the wrong message to those in our city,” Adams explained.
“Are you suggesting it is racial?” Berman asked.
“No I’m suggesting that those who are running for office in New York, those who are looking at the candidates in the field, they felt as though it sent the wrong message on Juneteenth — to make that announcement on Juneteenth, with all the diversity that was in the field of African-Americans and latin-speaking candidates.”
Berman continued to press, asking if the date was the only issue that Adams had with the pair of rivals teaming up.
“I think it sent the wrong signal and the wrong message and that is how many of the African American and Hispanic candidates felt after they saw it,” Adams said.
When Berman expressed confusion over an argument made by supporters of Adams that the alliance between Garcia and Yang “works to suppress the vote,” Adams was equivocal: “They feel based on their perception, that it suppressed the vote, then I respect their feelings. It’s not up to me to interpret their feelings.”
Adams also spoke to CNN about the volunteer on his campaign who was stabbed in the Mott Haven neighborhood in the Bronx while handing out flyers on Sunday. The 42-year-old volunteer is in stable condition, and Adams told CNN that police do not know if the attack was related to the mayoral race.
Watch above, via CNN.
