By: Carl Schwartzbaum

The delicate chess game shaping the New York City mayoral race has taken yet another twist. According to a report that appeared in The New York Post on Wednesday, top officials in President Trump’s administration have been in quiet talks over whether to offer Mayor Eric Adams a senior federal post — potentially an ambassadorship — in what sources described as a strategic effort to clear the crowded mayoral field and boost the chances of a head-to-head showdown between socialist frontrunner Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The backroom maneuvering underscores how the city’s mayoral contest has become a proxy for larger national battles over ideology, governance, and party control. The White House’s involvement — albeit unofficial and carefully denied on the record — signals just how high the stakes have become, not only for New York City’s future but for Trump’s broader political project.

Mayor Adams, who has run an independent re-election bid after federal prosecutors dropped a corruption case against him, remains a deeply polarizing figure. While he insists he is “in the race to win,” The Post reported that his closest advisers have been quietly urging him to accept a “federal golden parachute” and exit gracefully.

“I have a job. I’m running for re-election, I’m still doing that and I’m looking forward to getting re-elected,” Adams told reporters this week. Yet his tone was notably less emphatic than in past denials, particularly after a Florida trip following his birthday. Asked directly whether he might drop out, Adams quipped: “Whenever I make a move, I’ll make an announcement. I’m in this race to win and if anything changes, trust me, I’ll be on Channel 5.”

Behind the scenes, according to The Post, administration officials and sources close to the mayor confirm that conversations have centered on Adams’ suitability for an ambassadorship. Such a position would align with his longstanding desire to pivot toward international consulting work after leaving City Hall. “He can have any ambassadorship he wants,” one confidant boasted to the paper.

Another official close to Trump described Adams as being in “a unique position” ideologically. Despite his Democratic origins, Adams’ tough-on-crime stance and hardline views on immigration mirror Trump administration priorities. “He could likely make a real impact whether at home or abroad,” the source said.

The practical effect of an Adams exit, insiders argue, would be to bolster former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary but remains in the race as an independent. Polling consistently shows that Mamdani’s commanding lead is partly a function of a splintered opposition. In a one-on-one race, Cuomo is widely regarded as the only candidate capable of mounting a serious challenge.

As The Post report noted, Cuomo has long positioned himself as the “anti-Mamdani” candidate, emphasizing managerial competence and moderate appeal against the radical platform of the 33-year-old socialist assemblyman from Queens. Trump-world’s calculus appears straightforward: Adams’ lingering presence in the race is less a benefit than a liability, siphoning away anti-Mamdani votes and muddying the anti-socialist message.

The quiet hope among Trump allies is that Adams’ removal would replicate the effect of Jim Walden’s decision earlier this week to suspend his longshot independent campaign. Walden’s exit narrowed the field, though GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa remains. According to the information provided in The Post report, administration officials previously offered Sliwa a federal job in an effort to coax him out of the race — but he declined.

For weeks, speculation has swirled about how closely Trump himself is following the race. Reports surfaced, and Mamdani eagerly resurfaced them, that Cuomo and Trump had spoken by phone about the mayoral contest. While both camps downplayed the substance of those conversations, Mamdani seized on the opportunity to cast Cuomo as “Donald Trump’s choice to be the next mayor.”

“We have learned what New Yorkers have long suspected,” Mamdani declared at a press conference, “that Andrew Cuomo is Donald Trump’s choice.” He went on to insist he has no qualms about facing Cuomo directly: “That’s exactly what he wanted for so many months in the primary and we gave it to him, defeating him by 13 points.”

Still, for Trump operatives, the path forward remains obvious. As one insider told The Post: “They are seeing if Adams would be interested in working for the administration. It makes sense — he’s aligned on crime, aligned on immigration, and he’s taking up space in a race he can’t win.”

The urgency to remove Adams stems not only from polling but from the baggage he brings to the race. His mayoralty has been hobbled by a string of scandals, including investigations into donor relationships and management controversies that culminated in a now-dropped federal corruption case.

His campaign finance struggles add to the difficulty. As The Post reported, Adams’ independent run has struggled to attract donors, particularly after his team unsuccessfully attempted to maneuver Sliwa into a Trump administration post in order to secure the Republican Party line. The plan failed, leaving Adams politically stranded.

Now, according to campaign officials cited in The Post report, Adams and his inner circle are weighing whether to soldier on or bow out. A meeting scheduled this week is expected to determine whether his campaign will remain active or quietly wind down.

At the heart of the maneuvering lies the question of whether Zohran Mamdani, a self-described socialist and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, will capture the nation’s largest city. For critics, including The Post, Mamdani represents a radical threat to New York’s economic health and public safety. His past statements about policing, housing, and Israel have attracted particular controversy, with some accusing him of trafficking in anti-Israel rhetoric at a time of rising antisemitism.

Trump officials, while careful not to appear overtly partisan in a local contest, view Mamdani’s rise as emblematic of the broader leftward drift of urban politics. An Adams departure, clearing the lane for Cuomo, would sharpen the contrast between a seasoned centrist and a radical newcomer.

Officially, both the Trump White House and Adams’ campaign deny any concrete job offers have been made. “Mayor Adams has made it clear he will not respond to every rumor that comes up,” campaign spokesman Todd Shapiro said in a statement. “He will remain focused, not be distracted and grind for New Yorkers.”

Shapiro also pushed back against rumors reported by Politico that Adams had been offered a position at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. “Although Mayor Adams has been the most pro-housing mayor in New York City’s history, at no time did he ask for — nor was he offered — a job at HUD,” Shapiro said. He pointedly added: “And if the HUD job does open, Andrew Cuomo held that position before and can always continue where he left off.”

City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak echoed the mayor’s insistence that he plans to continue serving out his term. “Mayor Adams is a lifelong New Yorker who has dedicated his entire career to this city, and he intends to continue that work for another four years as mayor,” she said.

For now, the field remains fractured. Mamdani dominates as the frontrunner, Cuomo lingers as the only plausible alternative, Sliwa holds on as the Republican nominee, and Adams straddles a precarious independent run. The Post report emphasized that the central dynamic is not about ideology alone but about arithmetic: Mamdani thrives when the opposition is divided. Only in a consolidated race does he face real peril.

This explains the ongoing efforts by Trump-world to cajole, persuade, or otherwise nudge marginal candidates out of the contest. Walden’s exit this week was a victory for that strategy; Adams, however, remains the largest obstacle to consolidation.

As New York barrels toward November, the calculus is stark. If Adams remains in the race, Mamdani’s path to City Hall becomes dramatically easier. If he exits, particularly with the cushion of a prestigious federal post, Cuomo has a fighting chance to rally centrist, moderate, and even disaffected conservative voters into a broad coalition.

The White House’s quiet courtship of Adams may or may not succeed. But as The New York Post has made clear, the very fact that such talks are occurring demonstrates the gravity with which Trump’s administration views the mayoral race.

For Adams, the choice is equally stark: cling to a longshot candidacy under scandal’s shadow, or accept the parachute and step aside — potentially reemerging on the global stage with the prestige of an ambassadorship.

For Cuomo, the calculus is simpler. Every opponent who bows out clears his path. For Mamdani, the challenge is to maintain momentum and paint all opposition as the product of Trump’s meddling.

And for New Yorkers, the stakes could not be higher. As The Post continues to emphasize, the contest is no longer just about who will manage garbage collection, policing, or housing. It is about whether America’s largest city will swing toward socialism or whether an uneasy coalition of moderates can coalesce to stop it.