Good morning. It's Tuesday. Today we'll survey the outlook for New York after Donald Trump's victory. Also, today's the day that you'll receive the first installment of a separate, limited-run series called The Housing Crunch. It's a detailed look at why housing in New York City is so expensive — and so difficult to build.
New York officials are still processing what Donald Trump's victory might mean for the city — and, with the Democratic primary for mayor seven months away, what might happen with that race as Mayor Eric Adams hopes to win a second term. I asked Emma G. Fitzsimmons, our City Hall bureau chief, to take stock. You've been in Puerto Rico for a post-election ritual — a gathering of elected officials from New York City. Most are Democrats. How are they processing the shift to the right in all five boroughs, compared with 2020 results? There is a lot of grief, soul-searching and anger. Many of the Democrats had worked hard to try to elect Kamala Harris, and they understand her defeat was a huge setback for their priorities. They're now trying to grapple with why Trump won and what message Democrats can embrace to get voters back. Why do they think Trump did noticeably better in places like Queens? Some Democrats believe that voters were frustrated with the status quo, and are worried about issues like public safety, immigration and inflation. Others say that voters aren't particularly happy with the Democratic leaders of New York — Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul — and are open to an alternative. Republicans say that Democrats aren't listening to the concerns that Trump articulated or addressing them in a real way. Jessica Ramos, a Democratic state senator for Queens who is running for mayor, told me that her district moved toward Trump because voters are worried about bread-and-butter issues. "Latinos for a long time, just like my parents, came to this country to work really hard to provide better opportunities for their kids and be able to afford to buy a house," she said, "and it's been nearly impossible to be able to do that." The mayor was indicted on corruption charges in September, and aides in his inner circle have resigned because of investigations into the administration. The mayor and Trump seem to have forged an unlikely alliance: Both say they were unfairly targeted by federal prosecutors with political motivations. Does City Hall hope that the Justice Department will drop the investigations and the case against Adams once Trump takes over? How likely is that? The mayor and his advisers feel more optimistic about his criminal case since Trump's victory. Adams is scheduled to go on trial in April, just two months before the Democratic primary in which he's running for re-election. It is unlikely that the charges would be dropped. But Trump is likely to replace Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and the mayor's allies hope that there could be less energy and resources put toward the cases involving the mayor and his associates. If Adams is convicted, Trump could pardon him or pressure the Justice Department to recommend a lenient punishment at sentencing. But it remains to be seen whether Trump will go out of his way to help Adams. Adams quarreled with the Biden administration over the surge of migrants. How might he get along with the Trump administration? Adams will have a tricky balancing act to pull off. He has been reluctant to criticize Trump and will likely be less combative than other Democrats in New York. But Trump has vowed to carry out mass deportations, and Adams has said that will not happen in New York City. The mayor has also said that he will protect abortion rights. At the same time, New York City has received an influx of 200,000 migrants since 2022. Adams has asked the federal government to slow border crossings and to allow the police to work with federal officials to deport noncitizens who are accused of serious crimes, and he might be aligned on those issues with Trump. Did the officials at the gathering in Puerto Rico think the mass deportations of immigrants that Trump talked about during the campaign will happen, or did they consider them just threats to please the crowds at his rallies? Many Democrats believe Trump meant what he said, and yes, they are very worried about mass deportations. Elected officials say they will do whatever they can to protect immigrants in New York City, which takes pride in itself as a city of immigrants and the home of the Statue of Liberty. What about congestion pricing? Obviously, this is complicated, because the plan was a state initiative and was put on hold by Hochul. Trump has vowed to kill congestion pricing. We reported on Friday that Hochul is considering options to revive the plan, which would toll cars entering Manhattan's core to reduce traffic and pay for transit upgrades. She could drop the toll to $9 from an earlier plan to charge drivers $15. If New York starts the tolling program before Trump takes office, there is less of a chance that he could stop it. But Trump could try to undo it. Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican who just won a second term in a largely suburban district, said on Saturday that he would "fight tooth and nail" with Trump to kill it by revoking federal approval. What about the mayoral race? How does Trump's victory affect that? Adams and six other candidates are already running, and more challengers could enter the race. The mayor's allies have argued that Trump's victory shows that voters want a centrist like Adams. The mayor's supporters also say that voters could be open to voting for someone facing criminal charges. The four other Democrats in the race are to the left of the mayor and have largely focused on a message of being competent and addressing the city's affordability crisis. Another candidate, Jim Walden, is a former prosecutor and a centrist. Two other candidates are considering running: Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Letitia James, the state attorney general. They could be the early front-runners if they join the race, according to a poll by The Times. Both have quarreled with Trump in the past. They could argue that they are the right person to stand up to him on issues that hurt the city. WEATHER Prepare for a breezy day, with lots of sun and a high near 56. Tonight, the sky will turn clear, with a low in the upper 30s. ALTERNATE-SIDE PARKING In effect until Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving Day). The latest New York news
METROPOLITAN DIARY Total Focus
Dear Diary: It had been raining in the city for two days straight, and I was on my way to Times Square for the opening night of a film festival. I waded into the Seventh Avenue subway at 14th Street, but the 1, 2 and 3 were all shut down because of flooding. I splashed my way across to the Eighth Avenue trains. An A was waiting but delayed. The doors kept opening and shutting. I finally managed to squeeze inside a car that was tightly packed with riders. Suddenly, the train lurched forward. A woman in the middle of the crowded car began to hyperventilate. "Let me out," she yelled. "I have to get out. I can't stay here." Recognizing that she was having a panic attack, people sprang into action. Somehow, space opened up around her. Someone lowered a window. Someone else produced a bottle of water. And then a man holding a wand jumped directly in front of the woman. "Watch the wand closely," he said. "I promise it will be OK. I'm just going to lightly hypnotize you." He kept the woman's eyes focused on the wand as he talked to her quietly until we reached 34th Street. When the train stopped there, everyone filed out in perfect order, helped the woman onto the platform and then packed back into the car for the trip uptown. — Rayna Rapp Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Send submissions here and read more Metropolitan Diary here. Glad we could get together here. See you tomorrow. — J.B. P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. You can find all our puzzles here. Makaelah Walters and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at nytoday@nytimes.com. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.
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N.Y. Today: What Trump’s return could mean for the city
November 12, 2024
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