Takeaways from Eric Adams’ 2025 State of the City speech

If you didn’t know a highly controversial, immigration-hostile, locally indicted Republican president was about to be sworn into office in 11 days, you certainly wouldn’t find that out from New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ State of the City speech Thursday.

The embattled Democratic mayor of the (still) very blue city chose instead to leave ideology out of it and focus on the family. Tackling public safety, affordability, housing, street homelessness to make the city a better place to raise one were front and center Thursday as Adams made his case for why he deserves a second term. 

Adams delivered his fourth State of the City speech at the historic Apollo theater in Harlem, seeking to tout his accomplishments and shore up support as he kicks off the last year of his first time in office – one that will see him facing a competitive reelection battle and standing trial on federal corruption charges. Here are our main takeaways.

“We are family”

Grounding his speech in a vision that’s hard to disagree with – making the city safer, more affordable and more welcoming for families – is a smart, if not entirely surprising approach in a reelection year. Several of Adams’ challengers are building out policy platforms that put digestible commitments for families – like universal child care and after-school – on the table too. 

For Adams’ part, he’s committed to creating more family-sized housing units, building on last year’s City of Yes victory, as well as a pilot to place expectant parents living in shelter in permanent housing, installing financial educators across school districts and expanding a fatherhood mentorship program.

It all sounds great, but whether the administration can deliver on those commitments – and whether in time to make up for the mayor’s poor approval ratings in the city ahead of the primary – is another question, and one the mayor’s critics and opponents are already indulging. 

“It’s a great theme, it’s a great speech – if reality isn’t reality,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said of the family theme. “The wins – which there are, I don’t want to discount them – haven’t fully addressed the reality of what people are experiencing, and also what people are feeling,” he added of victories the mayor claimed in his speech.

City Council members also appreciated the attention on families, but thought some of the specific policies centered on affordability were familiar. 

“It's nice to see everyone is finally waking up to the fact that working families aren't just struggling, they're leaving. But I'm also having déjà vu because I've heard most of these proposals before from Speaker (Adrienne) Adams and my colleagues in the Council who have been laser-focused on affordability before it was the new buzzword,” City Council Member Justin Brannan said in a text.

Trump who?

Eight years ago, on the eve of President Donald Trump’s first inauguration, former Mayor Bill de Blasio devoted some time in his State of the City address to reassuring New Yorkers that in the face of incoming Republican leadership in Washington, the largely Democratic city would stand firm in its liberal ideals. 

Adams, on the other hand, pretty much ignored the incoming Trump administration and another Republican-controlled Congress. Trump has been sympathetic to Adams’ legal troubles, and Adams has avoided leveling any kind of criticism at the Republican president lately, committing instead to working with his administration, including on immigration. Trump wants to deport undocumented immigrants, and Adams wants to loosen the city’s sanctuary protections.

His mayoral challengers might recognize some policy proposals

Some of the initiatives detailed by Adams during his speech were likely familiar to a few of the mayor’s opponents in the upcoming Democratic primary. 

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is campaigning on addressing street homelessness – an issue that Adams’ commitment to add 900 new Safe Haven beds would also address. “One new building five years from now is not going to get anybody housed,” Lander said of Adams’ proposal to build a psych facility for homeless people with mental illness. “There was no proposal here for addressing street homelessness for seriously mentally ill people.” 

State Sen. Zellnor Myrie is pushing a detailed proposal to build and preserve 1 million homes over the next decade. Adams said he was pushing for Manhattan to have 1 million total homes in the next decade. 

Every candidate is talking about making the city more affordable for families. The mayor made it clear Thursday he’s the one who can actually take action on those things now.

Take a look at my admin, they’re the only ones I got

The upheaval in Adams’ administration since he delivered his address last January was evident in the storied Harlem theater. Though crowded, key members of the mayor’s inner circle who have departed over the last five months – many after being subjected to law enforcement scrutiny – were not in attendance. 

But those top lieutenants who stuck around were showered with praise during the speech, both for policy victories for the administration, and for toughing out what Eric Adams called the toughest job in politics – “working for Eric Adams.”