Day: September 28, 2025

New York Mayor Eric Adams announced on Sunday that he would end his re-election bid, dropping out of a race that has shaken the political landscape and drawn the interest of national leaders, including President Donald Trump.

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“Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign,” he said in a video announcing his withdrawal, adding that “constant media speculation” about his future made it impossible to stay in the race.

“Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer (is) to destroy the very system we built over generations,” he said. “That is not change, that is chaos. Instead, I urge leaders to choose leaders not by what they promise, but by what they have delivered.”

Adams did not endorse any other candidate in the race.

Adams’ campaign was a long shot; the sitting mayor has spent much of his tenure since he was sworn in to run New York City in 2022 embroiled in controversy, most notably over his federal criminal indictment on bribery and conspiracy charges. Adams has denied the allegations. The Justice Department, which brought the charges against Adams in September while President Joe Biden was in office, dropped the case in April, saying that pursuing the case would interfere with the mayor’s ability to carry out the Trump Administration’s hard-line immigration agenda. When approving the dismissal, the judge called the situation “disturbing,” saying that “everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions.”

That same month, Adams—who ran as a Democrat in the 2021 mayoral race—announced that he would run for re-election as an independent. 

For months, the mayor rejected calls to step down or end his candidacy. But The New York Times reported earlier this month that Adams had told his close associates that he was considering other opportunities instead of seeking re-election. Adams reportedly engaged in talks with Trump’s advisers about the possibility of the mayor dropping out of the race and taking a role in the Administration: Politico reported he had been offered a role in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, while the Times reported that Trump’s advisers were discussing a potential plan for the President to nominate Adams to be ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Amid the reports, a spokesperson for Adams insisted that the mayor had not had any discussions with Trump about the race, though Adams later said he “will always listen if called to serve our country.” Trump denied on Sept. 4 that he was encouraging any candidates to drop out of the race. He went on to say, however, that he would “prefer not to have a Communist mayor of New York City,” ostensibly referring to Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, and that he “would like to see two people drop out” of the race to allow a single candidate to face off against Mamdani—who has held a clear lead in the polls—in a one-on-one matchup. “I think that’s a race that could be won,” he said.

Mamdani, a Democratic socialist serving as a state Assemblymember, clinched the Democratic nomination when he defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Party’s June primary election. The victory marked a stunning political upset: Cuomo was long considered a front-runner in the primary race, until Mamdani surged in the polls in the weeks leading up to the election.

In the wake of Mamdani’s victory, Trump privately debated whether to get involved in the mayoral race to try to prevent the Democratic nominee from winning the general election, people with knowledge of those discussions told the Times.

The President has publicly blasted Mamdani on multiple occasions, calling him “a 100% Communist Lunatic.” Trump has alluded to false claims that Mamdani is in the U.S. “illegally” (he is not; Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and came to the U.S. as a child, became a naturalized American citizen in 2018). The President has even threatened to arrest Mamdani, after the Democratic nominee vowed to push back on Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

With Adams dropping out of the race, Mamdani is still set to face Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and Cuomo, who is mounting an independent bid after his loss in the Democratic primary, in November’s election. Trump supported Cuomo’s decision to run as an independent, saying at the time, “I think he should stay. I think he has a shot.” The Times reported that Trump’s advisers have also discussed persuading Sliwa to end his candidacy to bolster Cuomo’s chances against Mamdani.

Sliwa and Cuomo have both denied any contact with the White House.

• I love my kids, but I also need time for myself without them.
• I don’t feel guilty about taking time away from them, and when I’m back, I’m a better parent.
• Time away from them gives me space to remember who I am beyond a mom.

I packed my bag, kissed the kids goodbye, and skipped out the door, not out of neglect, but necessity.

I was off for a weekend of no kids, no bedtime stories, and no reapplying sunscreen on wriggly bodies. We sat in lounge chairs, read books, drank bottomless cocktails, and didn’t check the time or see if anyone needed to eat to avoid a meltdown.

We were somewhere with a pool, a beach, and lots of other children enjoying themselves. At one point, watching a family play in the pool, I wondered if I should’ve felt guilty that I hadn’t brought my kids away with me to enjoy this experience, but I didn’t. I know what it would’ve been like if I brought them. I know those parents aren’t sleeping in tomorrow.

Parenting in a different location isn’t a holiday, and I needed a real break, not just a change of setting.

I love my kids, and I need time without them

I saw a meme recently that resonated deeply with me. It said: My two favourite things are being with my kids and being without my kids.

I totally agree. I love being with my kids. They’re fun and cute and bring out a very silly side of me. Parenting is a wild and wonderful experience. Kids are also an all-access pass to spending a day at a petting zoo or splash park, eating watermelon in your bathing suit.

But I also love spending time away from them, with my friends, my partner, or even by myself. I do it guilt-free.

You can’t spend all your time with your kids, or in my opinion, you shouldn’t. Adult-focused days that don’t revolve around keeping small people entertained and fed are key to maintaining your sense of self. A 30-minute jog or a sushi night out is great, but you deserve more than that. A full day, night, weekend, or longer if you can swing it, is what parents, moms in particular, need to connect with themselves. And more than that, we should be taking that time without feeling guilty, mom-guilt, or anything like it.

I intentionally don’t say I’ll miss them

I deserve time away. I’m thoughtful about it. I leave my kids with responsible caregivers who love them and keep them safe. I fill the fridge before I leave. I prep my kids before I go, telling them how excited I am for my weekend away, to spend time with my friends, play cards, and stay up late. I talk about all the fun things they’ll do while I’m away, and I explain that I can’t wait to swap stories when I’m back.

I don’t say I’m going to miss them; you shouldn’t lie to children.

I’m half joking.

I don’t say it because I want them to feel positive about the situation, and in no way do I want them to think I’m not 100% excited. I want to normalize parents prioritizing themselves and also make it something we all look forward to, as I have no doubt the movie choice and bedtimes are different when I’m not around.

I don’t want my kids to grow up thinking that I only have fun when we’re together or that I need to be there for them to enjoy themselves. Sooner or later, they’re going to be independent people, and I’d like to start prepping them not to need me, just as I’m preparing myself not to need them.

I’m a better parent when I come back

When I get home to them, I’m a better parent after getting a break. I do miss them, if only a little, and I have lots of highly edited stories to share from my time away. I bring them home a little trinket that they love for at least 48 hours.

Inevitably, as quickly as the trip came up, it’s a distant memory, and I’m thrown back into laundry, dishwasher emptying, and arguing about how many minutes we should be brushing teeth for. After 10 minutes of extra-long, sweet hugs, my kids are fighting with one another, and it’s like I never left.

I don’t feel guilty for spending time away from my kids. That time and space give me the freedom to remember my pre-parent self, the one my partner fell in love with, and the one my friends still tell stories about.

It is so important to stay connected to yourself, even as you age, your alcohol tolerance shrinks, and your bedtime creeps earlier. Having a day or two where you eat when you’re hungry, not when someone whines, and where the only hat you have to remember is your own, is the best thing for your creativity, your nervous system, and your soul. Also, holidays without kids are substantially less expensive than family holidays, do the math.

The best version of me isn’t the one who doesn’t get away, it’s the one who knows when to go.

If my kids ever wonder why I take time for myself, I know they’ll also see how much better I show up when I get back.