Far-right Trump fan and mayor getting chummy
Mayor Adams has recently struck up a friendship with conservative talk show host Sid Rosenberg, unnerving some of the mayor’s fellow Democrats who argue palling around with the right-wing radio personality sends a troubling message.
Since taking office just over a year ago, Adams has appeared on Rosenberg’s WABC77 radio shows at least five times. The mayor has also gone out of his way to promote Rosenberg, including saying at a press conference last month that he considers the Trump-boosting Republican’s broadcast “his favorite talk show.”
Adams’ ties to Rosenberg also go beyond the airwaves.
According to social media photos reviewed by the Daily News, Adams has hobnobbed with Rosenberg a number of times in the past few weeks.
Late Wednesday, they dined together at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in Manhattan after Adams’ return from a trip to Washington, D.C.
“Late dinner with my friend @ericadamsfornyc,” Rosenberg captioned a Facebook photo of himself and Adams clutching each other’s hands and smiling at the upscale restaurant.
He concluded the short post with a local spin on former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan: “Lots to discuss! Making New York great again!”
Rosenberg posted another Facebook photo of Adams on Jan. 5.
“Gabriel and @nycmayor after dinner last night :),” Rosenberg captioned that picture, which featured Adams flashing a thumbs up while standing next to Rosenberg’s son at a restaurant.
The Democratic mayor’s friendship with Rosenberg comes in spite of the radio host’s rock-ribbed conservative values.
An avowed Trump supporter, Rosenberg typically uses his radio show to host hard-right Republicans like ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
“Most Republicans, including me, want to see your dad run again, so can you make that official announcement right here with me that he’s going to?” Rosenberg asked Donald Trump, Jr. while hosting him on his program last May.
“You don’t like Donald Trump? I don’t care. I really don’t care. I like him — in fact I love him,” Rosenberg said in an another radio appearance in July.
Camille Rivera, a Democratic strategist who has worked on various New York political campaigns, said the mayor should “talk to people even if he doesn’t agree with them.”
“But some of these circles that he’s moving in are too close for comfort,” she said. “Sooner or later, the question becomes: Who are you trying to appeal to? Are you trying to appeal to far-right people who want to ‘make America great?’ There is some dynamics here that is just not okay and probably not okay with some of the people who did vote for him.”
An Adams spokesman declined to comment on the relationship with Rosenberg, which comes to light as Hizzoner has been criticizing “woke” Democrats for driving minority voters out of the party.
Rosenberg did not offer comment, either, but WABC radio owner John Catsimatidis said he introduced the mayor to Rosenberg because “they both want what is best for the city.”