Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams is headed to the White House Monday to discuss ways to combat gun violence with President Biden.
Adams, a former NYPD captain, discussed Biden’s plan to address gun violence on CNN Sunday.
He praised the president for his attention on violence inflicted by people in predominantly black cities using hand guns, rather than focusing on the assault rifles used in less frequent mass shootings.
“I believe those priorities, they really were misplaced, and it’s almost insulting but we have witnessed over the last few years,” Adams said.
“They knew they were dealing with this real crisis, and it took this president to state that it is time for us to stop ignoring what is happening in the South Side of Chicagos, in the Brownsvilles, in the Atlantas of our country.”
Adams also responded to comments from White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain that compared Adams’ and Biden’s coalitions by saying “I duplicated it.” He called himself a blue-collar candidate that is “proud of what the president did.”
“They wanted not a government of just an ideological approach, but a pragmatic approach of, we want to be safe, we want to be employed, we want to be able to educate our children,” Adams said.
“When I saw the president speak in a blue-collar, plain talk, [he] understood the needs of everyday Americans, I was encouraged,” he added.
“I stood my ground, and that was a pathway that I knew, and the numbers really communicated clearly. We captured four of the five boroughs, everyday, blue-collar, New Yorkers. I’m a blue collar candidate, and I’m proud of what the president did.”
Adams, the heavy favorite to become New York City’s next mayor, has said curbing gun violence in the Big Apple would be a priority when he takes office. The candidate, considered a moderate on policing issues, has spoken out against the so-called defund the police movement while outlining a series of reforms.