Eric Adams became the first sitting New York City mayor to be indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday. The charges have yet to be revealed, but many believe they stem from Adams’s ties with Turkish officials, which allegedly saw him receive airline flight upgrades and World Cup tickets in exchange for help constructing the Turkish House skyscraper in New York.
A former NYPD cop in progressive NYC, he was already widely disliked for his punitive approach to crime and homelessness. His attention-grabbing behavior often made him seem more interested in his own celebrity than in effectively governing the city. Naturally, he was instantly target of an endless stream of jokes.
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People re-captioned this bizarre old PSA where he instructed parents how to search their children’s room for drugs—this one has to do with the fact that officials raided his Gracie Mansion home and confiscated his phones.
Sometimes it was just re-sharing old videos that needed no new context. Like when he said New York City was great because 9/11 could happen at any time.
Some people were more bothered by his very-public veganism than whatever he’s even being accused of.
Other posts, like this one from writer Hunter Harris, did call out his ties to Turkey, though. Missed opportunity!
This video from reporter Jon Campbell was deservedly making the rounds again. It uncovers the mayor’s penchant for comparing New York to other cities.
For many people on the East Coast, a mayoral scandal isn’t anything new—like this person comparing Adams’ indictment to the shame that came from former Providence mayor, the late Buddy Cianci. He was indicted in 2021 and eventually sentenced to five years in prison.
Then there’s Adams prior interaction with the disgraced and also-just-arrested Sean “Diddy” Combs, where the jokes just write themselves.
Perhaps it’s a requirement for a New York mayor, but—truly a weird guy.
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Brett Favre in 2006. Photo by Darren Hauck/EPA/Shutterstock.