Eric Adams Heads to Mar-a-Lago to Meet With Trump

Mayor Eric Adams of New York City was on his way to Florida on Thursday evening to meet with President-elect Donald J. Trump at Mar-a-Lago, according to three people with knowledge of the planned meeting.

Details of the meeting were not immediately available, and it did not appear on Mr. Adams’s public schedule.

Mr. Adams, a Democrat, has drawn criticism from members of his party for appearing to cozy up to Mr. Trump. And while Mr. Adams has expressed a desire to work productively with the incoming administration, critics have suggested that his warmth toward the president-elect masks a different motivation.

In September, Mr. Adams was indicted on five federal corruption charges, part of an investigation that he argues is political retribution for his criticism of President Biden’s immigration policies. Mr. Trump has publicly commiserated with Mr. Adams and seconded his depiction of a Justice Department run amok. Mr. Adams has expressed openness to the notion of receiving a presidential pardon.

For months, Mr. Adams has adopted a warm posture toward the incoming president.

In the run-up to the November election, his apparent reluctance to criticize Mr. Trump and resistance to naming Kamala Harris as his pick for president raised questions about who he intended to vote for. On Election Day, he told reporters he did in fact plan to vote for Ms. Harris.

Since Mr. Trump’s victory, Mr. Adams has repeatedly said he wanted to work with the president-elect, not war with him. In December, he met with Mr. Trump’s incoming “border czar,” Thomas D. Homan, and said they shared “the same desire” to go after undocumented immigrants who had committed crimes in the city. Mr. Homan, who played a central role in Mr. Trump’s first-term family separation policies, proceeded to go on the TV show “Dr. Phil” and praise the mayor.

At a charity event in September, Mr. Trump said he felt a kinship with Mr. Adams.

“We were persecuted, Eric,” Mr. Trump said at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. “I was persecuted, and so are you, Eric.”

At a news conference three months later, Mr. Trump said he would consider a pardon for Mr. Adams.

William K. Rashbaum contributed reporting.