As NYC prepares for Mamdani, departing Mayor Eric Adams wanders the globe

NEW YORK (AP) — For Eric Adams, one unwritten perk of being mayor of New York City has been the chance to live out his boyhood “dream of traveling the globe.”

He would hold onto that wanderlust through his federal indictment — focused, in part, on allegations that he accepted improper travel benefits from foreign nationals — and a losing reelection campaign kneecapped by the scandal.

Now in the final month of his tenure, Adams is embracing his travel bug.

In recent weeks, the lame-duck Democrat has embarked on trips to Albania, Israel and Uzbekistan, drawing allegations of mayoral senioritis from some critics. He set off again Wednesday, flying to New Orleans to accept an award from the Combat Antisemitism Movement.

The same group honored Adams at a gala in Tel Aviv less than two weeks ago, which the mayor also attended.

A spokesperson for Adams declined to share the cost of the trips, which are largely covered by city taxpayers. The tab typically includes hotel and flight accommodations for Adams, as well as his security and aides.

“On these official trips, Mayor Adams has been able to discuss bringing more innovation and jobs to the five boroughs, met with other governmental leaders from around the nation and across the globe, visited religious sites of different faiths, and more,” said Fabien Levy, a deputy mayor for communications, who joined the mayor on his trip to Israel and was with him Wednesday in New Orleans.

Adams’ critics, meanwhile, accuse him of dodging his government responsibilities while abusing publicly funded travel opportunities as he hunts for his next job.

“He’s chosen to lean into the notion the people have that the city is kind of secondary to what’s best for him at any moment in time,” said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, adding that it’s been “hard to watch.”

Adams, for his part, has not denied that he is considering job offers overseas, cryptically telling reporters in October that “many people want me to do things in other countries.”

A self-described “global leader,” Adams has long been unapologetic about his desire to see the world beyond New York. Before becoming mayor, he used his perch as Brooklyn’s borough president to execute “sister city” agreements in several countries, allowing him to make official visits to China, Senegal and Turkey.

In his first few years at City Hall, he headlined an event on antisemitism in Greece, attended the World Cup in Qatar and traveled through Mexico, Ecuador and Columbia urging migrants not to cross the border.

Even while in New York, Adams could often be found raising the flag of another country, or telling foreign leaders that he planned to grow old in their cities (among his stated retirement destinations: Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights).

It was his frequent travels to Turkey that drew the attention of federal authorities. In an indictment unveiled last year, prosecutors said Adams had accepted free or steeply discounted flights from Turkish officials seeking to buy his influence.

Adams denied wrongdoing and the charges were ultimately dropped at President Donald Trump’s urging. But the scandal cratered his approval ratings and, he claimed, prevented him from competing in the Democratic primary.

In early October, shortly after abandoning his ailing general election campaign, Adams embarked on a four-day trip to Albania to meet with Prime Minister Edi Rama and members of his cabinet, along with local business leaders. Adams has some connection to the country, as his son lived there while competing in Albania’s version of “American Idol.”

A few weeks later, after Zohran Mamdani was elected, Adams’ office announced a trip to Israel. A common visit for all of the city’s recent mayors, the timing was interpreted by some as a jab at Mamdani, who has criticized Israel and sidestepped questions about whether he would visit. Over four days, Adams visited the Western Wall and met with President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Then, on his final day in Israel, Adams’ office said he would not immediately return to New York but would instead fly to Uzbekistan for five days to meet with leaders there to discuss ways to bring “innovation, businesses, and jobs to the five boroughs.”

At times, the trip offered a remarkable split screen: That Friday, as Mamdani and Trump addressed the cameras for the first time, Adams shared a photo of himself meeting with more than a dozen members of Uzbekistan’s “Agency for Plant Quarantine and Protection.”

Mamdani becomes mayor on Jan. 1.