Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live on WABC 7’s “Eyewitness News at 5:00”

August 7, 2025

Mike Marza: We want to return now to some of our top stories including that Legionnaires’ outbreak in Harlem. Joining us now to talk about all this and much more is New York Mayor Adams. Mr. Mayor, always appreciate you making the time.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you very much, great to be on with you.

Sade Baderinwa: Mr. Mayor, let's begin with that health scare worrying so many people in Harlem. Three people are killed, 81 infected. I know you were out there yesterday speaking to residents. What do you say to those who are scared tonight? And there are so many in Harlem who are scared.

Mayor Adams: That's understandable. When you see something like Legionnaires’ disease and outbreak, it brings a great deal of alarm and that is why the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and our team, we have been in Harlem and I'll be back up there throughout the week and weekend just to give basic information so that people can understand what to do if you have flu like symptoms, respiratory issues, see your medical professional. You're not going to get it. It's not contact to contact. If someone shakes your hand, you're not going to get Legionnaires’.

It is really our cooling towers that we're looking at. We're conducting inspections. We're telling private business owners to do inspections as well and if we identify any Legionnaires’, they have 24 hours to rectify the situation.

Baderinwa: Yeah and speaking of those cooling towers, I know that you guys treated those cooling towers but there are still two of the zip codes that were impacted again. I know there was a case in 2021 so again, a lot of people are nervous. Why can't you be specific on exactly where the bacteria has been found? You know, which buildings versus just saying zip codes.

Mayor Adams: You know, I ask that same question to our health officials. There's a lot of HIPAA laws instructions that you have to live by and you really turn it over to your experts when it's dealing with a situation like this.

You don't want to do anything that's going to violate the privacy of individuals who live in a particular building and they tell me Eric, you can't give exact address, exact locations. If someone had Legionnaires’ disease it’s something that you can't do.

Marza: Mayor Adams, [we] want to switch out to the mayoral election about three months away now. And today assemblyman, as you know, Mamdani accused President Trump of conspiring with former Governor Cuomo to prevent Mr Mamdani from getting elected. So from a 30,000 ft view here, do you think President Trump should be weighing in on the election here in New York?

Mayor Adams: Well, I think everyone is going to share their opinions and thoughts and that's what's beautiful about this country. You have a right to share your opinions and thoughts.

But my goal, as I've always stated, even in 2021, I have to connect with voters. I have to give my story and let them know how well we moved the city forward and you're going to hear all sorts of things in the next couple of days.

But it is the candidate that's able to stay focused and not be distracted, and work hard, that is going to come forward with the victory. I went through this with Andrew Young. He was beating me by 13 points in the poll and we know we're not calling him mayor, we're calling Eric Adams mayor.

Marza: Well, and Mr. Mayor, to your point, moving forward, a lot of people are trying to, you know, scrounge up endorsements as we get closer to the election. The question for you, as some of your critics have pointed out, you have a relationship with President Trump, you're the mayor of New York, but would you accept an endorsement from the president for the mayoralship?

Mayor Adams: Well, I think that when they talk about the relationship I have, they fail to talk about the relationship I have with President Biden. I call myself the Biden of Brooklyn. I fought hard to deliver for the city around public safety when he came here. And so my relationship with the president is to respect for the White House.

That flag means a lot to me. My uncle died in Vietnam. And so the support that I want, New Yorkers who can vote for me and I'm going to be in the streets like I was in Harlem, not only sharing information they need to know, but sharing information of what we have accomplished. And so going back and forth on who's going to endorse and not endorse, I want one person to endorse me in the city and that's the one who lived in the city to make sure that I'm reelected.

Marza: All right, Mr. Mayor, we appreciate your time as always. We'll hope to talk to you soon.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Take care.

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