Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears on Merit TV's "Dr. Phil's The Real Story"

May 16, 2025

Dr. Phil: Welcome back to The Real Story. I'm going to start out today with a piece of tape from New York City Mayor Eric Adams that says it all.

[Video Plays.] 

Mayor Eric Adams: Nothing can justify pulling innocent children from their homes, dragging them through the streets, laying your feet across their bodies. Nothing can justify what we witness, nothing.

[Video Ends.]

Dr. Phil: This was him speaking extemporaneously on the streets of New York immediately after October 7th when Hamas assassins came through the wall and attacked in Israel. They attacked mostly non-combatants, women, children, elderly, infants in their crib. It was nothing short of murder.

[Video Plays.]

Mayor Adams: We are not alright when right here in the City of New York you have those who celebrate at the same time when the devastation is taking place in our city. We are not alright when Hamas believes that they are fighting on behalf of something in their destructive, despicable action that carried out. We are not alright when we still have hostages who have not come home to their family. We are not alright. We're not going to say we have a stiff upper lip and act like everything is fine. Everything is not fine. Israel has a right to defend itself, and that's the right that we know.

[Video Ends.] 

Dr. Phil: That, ladies and gentlemen, is the real story. Mayor Eric Adams is the mayor of the number one city for Jewish population outside of Israel, and I'm very proud to say that the mayor has agreed to join me in today's real story. Mayor, thank you so much for joining today.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. And it always amazes me how you use titles that really fit the moment. It is really time for us to have real stories and real conversation on what we're facing as a country and what we're facing globally, and this conversation that you have talked about of antisemitism is real. It's real all across our country, on our college campuses, particularly the Ivy League institutions. 

We're seeing it in our streets here in New York, where we have approximately 1.4 million Jewish people that live in the New York region, in the New York area. These are real issues, and when you hear about antisemitism, each story is a real story, and that's why we're facing it head on.

Dr. Phil: Well, you couldn't have said it better, and Hamas has released a U.S.-Israeli hostage, Edan Alexander. He is a 21-year-old that was raised in New Jersey and is believed to be the last living U.S. citizen who had been held in Gaza by Hamas since October 7th. 

The bodies of four other Americans are still held in Gaza, according to the White House. During prior exchanges, Hamas has drawn criticism for parading around and making a spectacle of it. That was not the case. Alexander was seen only in a photograph posted by Hamas at the time of his release. 

And the pain of all of this has been felt as much in New York City as anywhere, because as you say, there's 1.4 million Jews that live there that have felt the sting of all this. And I know that you have a very close relationship with that community, because you have nurtured it for years and years, not just since October 7th, but for a long time. What do you hear from the Jewish community in New York City?

Mayor Adams: Well, it's a great deal of relief for them on this specific area, but it gives way to concerns about the increase in antisemitism and just the level of comfort that we're seeing with hate in general, but specifically as we talk about this topic, antisemitism. 

We're seeing it played out in social media. We're seeing it on our college campus that's been matched with the anti-American energy, particularly among our young people and the lack of patriotism of our way of life. 

And so we are all relieved that this is possibly the last living hostage that has been released and will be coming home. But the mission is not fully accomplished. The mission will be accomplished when Hamas is destroyed. And that is something we must be clear on, and a lack of clarity, and too many people are trying to rationalize what took place on October 7th. 

We can't do that. There is no room for hate in our city, and we say it across the board. If it's the Sikh community, the Muslim community, the Jewish, Christian, or any other community, we must fight against hate, and I'm going to continue to lift that up in this city.

Dr. Phil: I really wonder sometimes what these communities think, how they feel when we see things that are happening on our college campuses right now, because whether it's Harvard, UPenn, Columbia, whatever, there just seems to be an absolute lack of critical thinking among young people. 

And we also look at the administrations who not only fail to condemn misguided support of terrorist groups, but actually encourages, endorses it, whatever you want to say about it. This has to be very painful to these communities to see these things happening on these college campuses and then see the legacy media amplifying and elevating these messages as though they're on the right side of history. 

And what do you say to these people when a terrorist group that is killing Jews and Americans, by the way, since the beginning of Hamas in the early 80s, there have been 48 Americans, based on my research, that have been killed by this terrorist group, and yet we have these young people out celebrating them. When you meet with the Jewish community, what do you say to them?

Mayor Adams: It is extremely painful. And you're right. You have many who are covering these stories, particularly in the legacy media, who just basically have embraced this whole philosophy and concept and embraced the belief that this country is not the greatest country on the globe and want to emphasize our flaws and really are lifting up the behavior of Hamas and Hezbollah and others. 

And so we must be united in our voices. And I think outlets like yours are where we could have real common sense communication and very truthful analysis of what is taking place. And many people, Dr. Phil, did not see the videos of what happened in Israel. They may have read about them. They may have heard stories. 

But when you see the actual videos of what happened, the slaughtering of women and children and babies, you could have a full scope of how dangerous Hamas actually is. And not only harmful to the people of Israel, but they have been harmful to the people of their own country. And we need to have an accurate portrayal of the dangerous danger of this organization.

Dr. Phil: It just seems to me that you hear politicians, you hear people in the media that kind of take this sort of lukewarm approach to discussing this. Look, there is no moral equivalence to what happened. There's no moral equivalence to what took place on October 7th. 

They want to talk about death in Gaza from the Israeli striking back and dropping bombs. And look, I make no equivocation about this. I hate that there is death taking place in Gaza. There are children that are being killed in Gaza from Israeli bombs and attacks from the IDF. There's no doubt about that. And more death than took place in that one day in Israel. 

There's absolutely no question that that is happening. And I hate that. I hate for any innocent people to get killed. They're getting killed collaterally from acts of war. What happened on October 7th was not an act of war. That was an act of terror. And they came in and killed innocent children, children in their cribs, infants, elderly. And people say, oh, that's the narrative. That's what they said. That's not a narrative. That's not what they said. As you just pointed out, if you've seen the videos, you know that that's what happened. You know that that's true. I've seen it from cell phone videos of those that were killed and they didn't get the cell phones away from them. 

I've seen those videos. You've seen those videos. It's as real as it gets. And let me tell you, they don't want just everybody in Israel dead. This river to the sea is their chant. It's their belief, and they want everybody in America dead as well. They want people in the West dead. There's no stopping these people if they're not eradicated. There's no middle ground here. And I think we have to realize that. That's true.

Mayor Adams: Yes, and I was speaking to a group who call themselves Gays for Hamas. And I shared with them, do you realize what Hamas will do to people from the LGBTQ+ community? We have to stop romanticizing violence and destruction and terrorism and be honest about what we are up against. When people put out and publicize and push the destruction of America, we need to be honest with that. And we have to be careful that our children are not radicalized to hate the country that has provided a way of life for those who have come here from all across the globe. 

And then history should be a reminder to all of us. We saw what happened in Iran after the Shah failed. And within a small period of time, a country that had a high standard of living turned into a country where people were oppressed. Women were treated unfairly and a combination of things. And so the combination of history, the combination of current times should prepare us for the future. We're fighting against dangerous people. And we need to always keep our mind on. And not allow them to take a foothold among our young people here in this country.

Dr. Phil: It's a constant battle. It's not something that you do and it's over. It's something that we manage. We're not going to cure it. We're not going to eliminate it. We're going to have to fight it. And it's an ongoing battle. And as part of that, I had been working and planning with a group of rabbis in the five boroughs to have a meeting of solidarity in New York City on June 8th to really just talk and really have a meeting of the minds and a coming together and letting them know that America stands behind them and stands behind Israel. And they had asked me to do that. 

I've spoken at several Jewish organizations nationally and internationally. And look, I'm not Jewish and I'm not a politician. But I'm just someone with a platform that knows right from wrong. And I've had the willingness to step up and talk about it. And as this came together and I became more and more aware of your staunch and courageous position against antisemitism for so many years. 
Before you were mayor, as a police officer, as a borough president, as all the different positions you've held. I ask you if you would. Join me in that. And you were gracious enough to say that you would on June 8th. So you and I can have a conversation about it. And I want to thank you for a willingness to do that. 

I think it will mean a lot to them for you to be there and for the two of us to have a conversation about that. So they know that my platform is dedicated to this and available to them. And that you as the leader and CEO of that city continue to stand with them against this antisemitism.

Mayor Adams: And it is so important, and bringing those rabbis in the room, they are teachers. And I believe our exchange and dialogue will allow them to go out and send a clear message of teaching of their parishioners, how there is a united voice. Neither you nor I are Jewish. We are not Jewish. And we still see them as our brothers. As we see all groups in this city, in this country, as part of our brothers and sisters. And so I'm looking forward to the dialogue. And I'm happy that you have me participate in this fireside chat. And I think we can leave the room with a great deal of knowledge, information, and how we can call us together to end antisemitism in our city and country.

Dr. Phil: Well, it takes courage to step up and do it when you're in the position that you're in. But I've never seen you turn from a fight. I've never seen you turn from something you believe in. And I just, I'm proud to sit with you on that stage and have, I guess we're calling this a fireside chat. 

But I suspect it's going to be a very important conversation. And I will be proud to have that conversation with you. It will be myself and Mayor Eric Adams on June 8th in New York City with a group of, I think, very influential rabbis. And we want to let them know that America stands with them and stands with Israel. And that's going to be the message. And I certainly believe no matter what you read, no matter what you see on college campuses, June 8th, you're going to get the real story.

Mayor Adams: Well said. Well said. I look forward to seeing you at that time and the others who are in attendance.

Dr. Phil: It'll be great. Mayor, thank you so much for taking the time to do this today.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. 

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