POLITICS: Trump’s presence in the NYC mayoral race could force Mayor Adams to drop out

Going back to the glory days of Tammany Hall, New York has had some wacky mayoral elections.

But it would be a tall order to find any that surpassed the current race for its zigs and zags and sheer weirdness.

The off-the-charts distinctions feature the president of the United States playing the role of Boss Tweed by using the power of the purse and naked patronage to try to shape the field of candidates and pick the winner.

The Republican president is upfront about his aim of denying a November victory to Zohran Mamdani, a radical socialist who won the Democratic Primary.

Trump calls the 33-year-old state assemblyman a “communist lunatic and a threat to New York City.”

He’s right that Mamdani is a threat, with his “defund the police” background and calls for legalizing prostitution and decriminalizing misdemeanors beyond the pale.

The candidate also promises big tax hikes on high earners, rent freezes on privately owned apartments and a city-run supermarket in each borough.

He is vehemently anti-Israel, making him a disgraceful outlier in the Jewish capital of America.

Trump’s aim is to help clear the field so that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo could face Mamdani in a one-on-one race.

The only way to do that is by getting incumbent Eric Adams and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa to voluntarily drop out.

Although Cuomo lost a multicandidate primary to Mamdani 56%-44% under the ranked-choice voting system, Trump repeated Friday his belief that “Cuomo might have a chance of winning” the general election if it was just a two-man race.

Mano a Mam-o

“If it’s not one-on-one, it’s going to be a hard race,” the president said.

“And we’ll get used to a communist, and he’s going to have to go through the White House to get approvals for everything,”

The polls say the president is right that only a one-on-one race could defeat Mamdani.

Cuomo has consistently been running in second place, with Sliwa and ­Adams far behind.

The problem is that the three anti-Mamdani candidates are splitting a majority of the vote, meaning Mamdani would almost certainly win a four-way race with a plurality that could be as a small as 40% or even less.

A typical poll, from American Pulse, recently found Mamdani leading with just 37%, Cuomo in second at 25%, Sliwa next at 17% and Adams last with a mere 11%.

Those dynamics and the prospect of a humiliating last-place finish for the incumbent have helped to fuel reports that Adams was seriously entertaining an administration offer to be nominated for ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Federal officials were coy about the conversations, but did not deny they aimed to get Adams and Sliwa out of the campaign and were prepared to put them on the payroll.

So far, both have said no, though Adams is clearly wavering.

Reports that he met recently with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s chief global negotiator, added substance to the idea that the wheels were turning.

However, Friday offered decidedly mixed signals. In the morning, Adams’ office issued a statement on X in his name, saying that “Serving New Yorkers as their mayor is the only job I’ve ever wanted. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made lowering crime, improving schools, building housing, and cutting costs for working families — and I remain the best person to lead this city forward.”

Then, in a conflicting move that has become par for his mayoralty, he added: “While I will always listen if called to serve our country, no formal offers have been made. I am still running for reelection, and my full focus is on the safety and quality of life of every New Yorker.”

Even later Friday, his office sent out an alert that he “will make an important announcement regarding the future of his campaign.”

The rumor mill instantly jumped into over drive.

After all, nobody announces good news on Friday afternoon, so there was a reasonable expectation the mayor might be announcing he would drop his re-election bid for a plum assignment.

Back (out) and forth?

The expectation turned out to be a false alarm.

Adams began his remarks by blasting both Cuomo and Mamdani as “spoiled brats born with silver spoons in their mouths.”

He also said that “Andrew Cuomo is a snake and a liar,” and “I am the only one who can beat Mamdani.”

By refusing to answer any questions from the dumbfounded media, the mayor managed to clarify absolutely nothing about his plans or what he wants.

However, an insider tells me Adams earlier told some on his staff he planned to resign, and would be finalizing a deal with Trump soon.

But even that, if true, would only bring partial clarity. Adams could conceivably drop out of the race, but remain as mayor until a federal job offer came through.

If he also resigned, the public advocate, Jumaane Williams, would serve as acting mayor until the election.

The problem with that is that Williams is nearly as radical as Mamdani.

That wrinkle aside, there remain big unknowns about what kind of job Trump is willing to offer.

Becoming the ambassador to Saudi Arabia sounds like a leap for someone with no foreign policy experience, given how vital the post will be as Trump pushes the powerful kingdom to join the Abraham Accords and make formal peace with Israel.

Then there’s the fact that the post, or any ambassador job, would require Senate confirmation.

That would take time, and given Adams’ federal indictment on campaign violations, which was filed by the Biden administration and dropped by Trump, it’s not a sure thing the mayor could pass an FBI background check.

Without that, any White House job of consequence is highly ­unlikely.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that Trump is not alone in running away from Mamdani’s far-left agenda.

A number of top Dems, including Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Gov. Hochul and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have refused to endorse him.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted them for that last week:

“We have a Democratic nominee. Are we a party who rallies behind our nominee or not?” she asked on NY1.

“We use our primary to settle our differences, and once we have a nominee we rally behind that nominee,” she added.

She knows the holdouts believe Mamdani’s election as mayor would be a national rallying cry for the GOP next year, when Hochul is up for re-election and control of Congress will be on the ballot.

If Mamdani were to win City Hall, the GOP would be able to use him as a warning sign of how out of touch Dems are with normal Americans.

Than again, asking AOC to ­understand that is a fool’s errand.

She and Mamdani illustrate how leftist Dems live in a bubble — and don’t care what the majority of Americans want.