see also: May 26, 2022 press release

Office of the Mayor

Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams, Governor Kathy Hochul Hold Media Availability on New York City's Bid to Host 2024 DNC

July 21, 2022

Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGzGOQSjTJI

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Thank you so much. Excited to be here with our amazing governor and her partner as we put on our New York display. We like doing this. We like our product, this place called New York City, and our opportunity to continue to show how the resiliency of this city and the invincibility of this city, and to be able to show the DNC reps on why this is one of the best places, if not the best place to host our convention.

Mayor Adams: And so, I'm happy to be here with Jaime Harrison and his team. And trust me, many of them, they have done this before, so they know the right questions. They know what to look for and how to ensure that they're picking the best place that's representative of our entire country and our party, the party of fairness, the party of vitality, the party of the future. And so, I want to thank them for being here as we compete for the convention. This is an exciting moment for us to do so. And I also want to thank their entire team that is part of the site, part of looking at every aspect of bringing a convention to a city like New York.

Mayor Adams: And New York is recovering because it works, our partnership and the vision of the governor. We all are in lockstep with what she's doing, and I believe that it is a symbol to the entire country. And so, this is an important moment for us as we decide the future of our party. From our success of hosting events, from ticker-tape parades to major sporting events to using major venues, we're coming together to gather for the 2024 convention. And this is the place to do it.

Mayor Adams: We're not just nominating a Democratic presidential ticket. We are setting a brand new course for this nation. In America, we are looking for the right site. We want a place that respects workers’ rights, women's rights, including the right to control the body and her destiny. As we look right now, and are the location for those asylum seekers, New York has continued to show why we're going to lead the way. This party is a party that will continue to show that they are working on behalf of everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans.

Mayor Adams: We are here, where labor unions and businesses work together. This is a place where we fight climate change, and protect our communities from coast to coast and everywhere in between. This moment is so important for our country. This is a place where we pass common-sense gun laws. We hosted a series of mayors here yesterday to talk about the common-sense gun laws that we need. It's a safe harbor and welcomes immigrants, celebrates diversity and rejects bigotry. We're a symbol of that in New York City — a nation and a city that offers our young people high-quality education, good-paying jobs, and renewed sense of hope, and a strong and steady state where our schools, elected officials and schools work together to prepare our children for the future. That's why we are clearly stating that New York is the place to host the convention in 2024. And I'm excited to be here with the governor that has a clear vision on how to carry this out.

Mayor Adams: We're going to spend the next few days of showing the entire delegation on why there's no other place like New York City. When the curtain rises in New York, it rises in America. And we know that. We're going to show everything from our great venues, our restaurants, our amazing infrastructure and transportation, the ability to move around large number of people, the best police force on the globe. Many of the dollars that are used to make this happen is right here in New York City. This is our opportunity to show why in 2024, there's no other place to be than NYC.

Mayor Adams: And so, I want to turn it over to my partner and our leader, the governor of the State of New York, Kathy Hochul.

Governor Kathy Hochul: Thank you, Mayor Adams. It is great to partner with you on so many initiatives, but this will probably be the most fun thing we partner on.

Governor Hochul: I am so energized by this opportunity to put the spotlight on our stage here in New York City with the mayor, because there are no two greater champions and believers in this city and this state than the two of us. We want to spread that sense of optimism that we innately have about the possibilities of our comeback. Yes, we've been down. We've been knocked down before, and we always rise up.

Governor Hochul: So, we talk about symbolism. The symbolism of the National Democratic Committee selecting New York City for their 2024 location will be a symbol of a rebirth of not just a community, but of the Democratic Party, and remind people that the values of our party, the Democratic Party, are uniquely American values. We value our diversity. We welcome people from all over the world. The Statue of Liberty is that symbol that is recognized by others seeking freedom from oppression. And today, that same symbol allows us to talk about coming here, women particularly, who are being oppressed and denied their rights in other states to have a [magmatical] procedure known as an abortion.

Governor Hochul: So, we're going to talk about these issues in 2024. This is the place to have that conversation, we believe, because we're going to be able to show an incredible contrast. And who's fighting to protect our city streets more than New York City? The partnership we have once again, talking about this nonstop to ensure that we remain the safest big city in America, which is what we are today. So, these are the issues that matter to people. Getting people good-paying union jobs as we rebuild our economy, we're going to talk about that.

Governor Hochul: And also, what we have to offer, not just historically as the place that had a Democratic Convention 100 years, in 1924, so it'll be the 100th anniversary. It occurred right here in New York City. It was our first. This would be a great centennial of a convention coming here. But also, the history of the last time the Democrats hosted a convention here was in 1992. And it was a very good year for a young guy, a governor out of Arkansas named Bill Clinton. So, things turn out well for people who are nominated in this city — is our recollection on that as well. So, we have the history, we have the values. We want to showcase the contrast between the Democrats and the Republican Party.

Governor Hochul: Interesting also, intersection of the fact that we are talking about an insurrection that occurred in our nation's capital at this time. We're also recognizing the fact that this is the nation's first capital, here in New York City from 1785 to 1790. So we can make all kinds of connections. The symbolism is glaring in why this should be the location for the next convention, but as the mayor said, the nightlife, the vitality, the energy, the excitement. This is a comeback. And by 2024, we'll be hitting it on all strides. People will want to come here to celebrate the rebirth of our country after COVID, the long dark slumber of COVID, but also the rebirth of our Democratic Party, once again, re-energized. And there's no better place to do that than right here in New York City, in New York State.

Governor Hochul: So, we know what we have the best. We're happy to brag about it, because we're New Yorkers — it's what we do. But I think that you'll walk away from here after two days of exploring all we have to offer with that sense as well, that this is the only place that this convention should and can occur. And we look forward to hosting this together as partners in 2024. So, thank you very much.

Governor Hochul: And with that, let me bring our great national leader, Jaime Harrison, who has been out there on the front lines, comes to New York City often. We see him here, but he's all over the country talking about why Democrats need to get elected to save democracy. Yes, that is exactly what's on the line, the protection of our democracy and our values. So Jaime Harrison, take it away.

Jaime Harrison, Chair of the Democratic National Convention: Thank you, governor. Thank you, governor. Thank you, mayor, for your hospitality. It is always great to be in New York. It's always great to be in the city that never sleeps. And many of you who have attended conventions know that people do not sleep during conventions, particularly the chairs.

Harrison: Let me just say, I'm honored to be joined today by many of our officers of the DNC who are here with me, and our technical team as well. This is a team of folks who have done so many conventions, they've forgotten more about conventions than I've ever known. And so, I am just overjoyed to have them as partners to be in this effort, to look through... What we do during these visits is we look under the hood. We kick the tires to try to make sure that we are picking the best city that represents the values of the Democratic Party.

Harrison: We are the party that stands for freedom. There's only one party in this country that stands for freedom right now, and you see it first in first hand. And you will see even more of it tonight when you see the hearings on January 6th. There's only one party that stands for the diversity. There's only one party that looks like America in every aspect. Think about the diversity of this great nation, which is our greatest strength. There's only one party that actually looks like America, that has the values of this great nation, and that is the Democratic Party.

Harrison: And so, for the convention, that is our one time in four years that each party gets to put on full display, who they are and what they represent. I know what we represent. I know what we're striving for. We believe in reproductive freedom. We believe that men and women should control their own bodies. We believe in voting rights. We believe that everybody, regardless of your ideology, should be able to exercise your right to vote. We believe that climate change is not coming, but it is here, and that we have to fight back against that.

Harrison: And so, what we are looking for in a city is a city that will host this great convention. And we have so many great cities across this nation. We are looking for a city that can help us make that case, that can demonstrate all of that diversity for not only the people who attend in that city, but for folks all across the country and all over the world.

Harrison: So again, I want to thank the governor and the mayor for their hospitality, for having us here today. We're really excited to visit all the places. I know I can't wait. I'm a big NBA fan, so can't wait to be on the floor of Madison Square Garden. And the restaurants here, of course. I probably don't need to eat anymore, but I will. But it is just great to be here with two amazing Democrats who really embody all that we are as a party. And I thank them for their friendship and their leadership. Thank you.

Question: Mr. Harrison, I wanted to ask you, we hear a lot of rhetoric from New York and I'm sure from other cities across the country about the current crime issues that big cities are facing, and New York is no exception. How much is that public safety issue going to play into the decision you make?

Harrison: Well, listen, we got a mayor who served in the Police Department, who's the mayor of the City of New York. We have a governor who is tough on crime and is going to make sure. So all of these cities that we are visiting right now, I feel very confident that our visitors will be safe, that they're going to do everything that they can. These mayors and these governors are working very hard to address those issues each and every day. So, that's not a worry for us because we know that these are going to be some of the most secure events around the country. So, thank you.

[Crosstalk]

Question: This promise that by 2024, New York City will be an improved New York City, safer or more vital, how much stock do you put on a promise?

Harrison: Well, with these two people making the promises, it's guaranteed that that's going to happen. They are true leaders that have demonstrated time and time again that they know what they're doing. And so, I have full confidence. And we already see the improvements that they're making in terms of infrastructure and security, working with police forces and all. So, it is not something that I question. Again, we wouldn't be in this city if we didn't have confidence that they didn't have their act together. And we know that they do.

Question: Mr. Harrison, I have a question for you having to do with the kind of city you're looking for. In the past, a lot of times, Democrats and Republicans have picked swing state places because they want to make a statement in terms of the politics of the election. Are you going to be taking that into consideration as well, where you look at the possibility like Georgia, which could be a swing state, as opposed to New York, which is solidly blue?

Harrison: I think every city that we're considering will have their own story. They will have their own pitch about why it's important to be in that city, why it's important to be in that state.

Harrison: I think for us, what we are looking for is the city that can demonstrate and illustrate the values of the Democratic Party, about who we are. Where do we want to go? Where do we want to be? And so, New York is one of the great cities that can tell that story. And so, in the end, we'll make the decision based on the technical components of what we need for a convention, but we'll also make the determination on which city we believe best tells the story that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are trying to tell to the American people. And I think New York is one of those cities that's in that mix to tell that story.

Question: The governor and the mayor would both say to you that we are the only place that could tell that story.

Harrison: I'm sure they will. And they've already done it.

[Crosstalk]

Question: Yes, good morning. How are you coordinating transportation, given that the city has become, let's say narrower for vehicles. There's been more development. There's a lot more construction in the streets. How do you get people from point A to B?

Harrison: Well, I think the mayor is best suited to answer that because that's one of the things our technical team will discuss with his staff about, because transportation is really, really important. So, mayor, I don't know if-

Mayor Adams: Yes. I think that you just gave us probably one of the top selling points that we have. As I crisscross the country, no one has the transportation infrastructure like New York. As the governor was indicating earlier, I've attended conventions when you're on those long bus rides and you're trying to figure out, like when I was a child saying, "Are we there? Are we there yet, dad?" We don't have to say that here.

Mayor Adams: You know that from our subway system to the bus system, to being able to control lanes, we hold the United Nations leaders each September, and we move about. We know how to hold big events. No one does it like New York. Particularly in the area of moving people around, we're going to be able to move around the delegation, we're going to be able to move around everyday New Yorkers. And so, this is the best place. That is probably one of the top selling points we have, our infrastructure, our transportation infrastructure.

Question: Given the concern that New Yorkers have about getting on the subway, how concerned do you think out-of-towners and delegates would be riding the subway?

Mayor Adams: It's the best subway system. We're seeing every day since January, the removal of 1,700 people who are living on our subway system, the removal of the encampments, the presence of our uniform officers, our manner of how we are patrolling and mobilizing and utilizing and deploying our police officers. We're turning the corner. People are getting back on our system every day.

Mayor Adams: And then, we have so many alternatives to moving around the city. We have one of the best bus services you can have from crosstown to uptown to downtown. We even have the guys that are on the little bikes and the people that ride in the back. We get around. New York moves. We got bike lanes. We know we move in this city. And then, we walk. We have some of the best hotels and restaurants right around Madison Square Garden. We're going to hang out tonight. I'm the nightlife mayor, so I'm going to show them some of the product as we take them throughout the city.

Mayor Adams: Our transportation is safe, reliable, and dependable. Our Subway Safety Plan that we rolled out at the beginning of the year, we're seeing a return on our investment. We're going to get people around, and we're pleased about that.

Question: You mentioned the encampment policy that you instituted months back. When you guys did that, how much did you have events like this in mind? That doing that, in a way, was a precursor to being able to hold events like this, that I'm sure you see as a boon to the city's economy?

Mayor Adams: Well, I think it's going to the previous question. The governor and I heard overwhelmingly from New Yorkers that stated they were concerned about the subway system. And to her credit, she heard it, we sat down with our teams. So it was not about just looking at how do we attract conventions and large events here. It was, how do we attract people back into our subway system?

Mayor Adams: And so, there was a duality to our approach. We wanted to make our subway system safe and reliable for everyday New Yorkers. But then, as we talk about the World Cup, soccer that we just won with New Jersey, when we started talking about attracting conventions back to fill Madison Square Garden, all of this was in mind. We knew we had to deal with the visual presence that our city was on the rebound and recover. And, governor, we've been able to accomplish that.

Mayor Adams: And so, yes, we had short-term and long-term. We knew 2024 was coming. And we knew that when the curtain rises, it has to rise in New York. And we wanted people to know that our city is back because we have the right partnership to do so.

Question: Hi. It's been a long-

Mayor Adams: Wow. Where you been?

Question: You guys need to spread the assignments around… As you're trying to lure Democrats to New York, there's been some discussion that the redistricting maps that are out might actually help Republicans gain a foothold in the City Council. And I was wondering if you took that into account. I know you appointed members to the Districting Commission. Are you worried at all about Republican expansion in local politics?

Mayor Adams: Our appointments, they were for the City Council maps. Albany did the congressional maps. We have the largest number of Democrats in the entire country right here. This is Democratic country right here. And as the chair stated, the party is the face of the Democrats. New York is the face of the party.

Mayor Adams: We believe that we are going to retain the majority in the Senate and the Assembly. We believe that the maps are not going to erode the fact that Democrats know this state and city and country needs to move in the right direction. And we're the party of the future. And so, we're going to mobilize the voters, we're going to get them out. We have the governor on the ticket that is going to increase the number of Democrats. We've witnessed that before. And so, we're not worried about how they skew the lines, in my opinion. We're going to stay focused on getting our voters to the polls so we can win these seats.

Question: Mr. Mayor, another question for you. Going back to another-

Mayor Adams: Another one to watch here.

Question: Going back to the subways, and as you talked about the deployment of police officers, what are you doing differently? And what is the NYPD doing differently about deployment of officers? Have you guys added more cops? And do you think that more cops should be added? And especially, are you concerned that tourists are going to come here and see these high-profile cases like the shoving and the death of Michelle Go, someone getting shot in the Q Train on the way to brunch? Are you worried that that's going to freak people out and have them not come?

Mayor Adams: I had a meeting yesterday with mayors across the country. My good friend, the Houston mayor, is dealing with some issues. All the big city mayors — Atlanta mayor Andre was sharing some of the issues he was having there. All the cities that are being considered are dealing with similar issues that we are dealing with here in New York. Some of these issues are not new to New York, but we're sharing information. And 2025, I am of a strong belief in 2025 you're going to see how all of our plans are going to materialize into the product that we know this city could be.

Mayor Adams: Now, over 3 million people use our subway systems a day. We have such a large usage, a system where out of those millions of people, you have an average of six crimes a day, out of those millions of people. Every crime matters, but deploying police as we are doing now, where we're spreading them out, deploying them better... I've always stated, we were not deploying our police correctly. I was a former transit cop, and I know what deployment looks like. We're spreading out our resources, but we also did something else. We're having our uniform precinct officers parking, going into the subway system, doing inspections, and actually enhancing that patrol. This was a brilliant idea that the police commissioner and Chief Wilcox put together to compliment.

Mayor Adams: And during these high-profile events, we're going to also add new officers inside our system, where you're going to have a dense population of people there. So we're going to complement the existing transit police personnel, have our officers in the precinct through more visual inspections, we're doing thousands a day, do visual inspections, and then have those officers that are doing desk duties, for some reason, to also compliment what we're doing. We're going to have the manpower. No one has the manpower like we do in the New York City Police Department. We're the best police department on the planet, not in the country, but on the planet. People come here to learn how to police. When you talk about public safety, you can't say it better. You start public safety with NYPD globally.

Question: Mr. Mayor, I wonder if there's any economic estimates about how much benefit this will be to New York City, especially as the restaurant industry, the hotel industry, Broadway, and others are struggling to come back after COVID? Will this be an economic shot in the arm for both the city and the state, and how much?

Mayor Adams: It's a lot. I think the average is about $230 million. I say all the time, when I'm on the street and I meet tourists, the first thing I say to them, "Spend money." And those who are going to attend the convention, they're going to come out to our restaurants, they're going to come out to our Broadway shows. Their spouses are going to say, "While you doing your political stuff, I'm going to go shop on 5th Avenue." This is a real money generator for us.

Mayor Adams: A lot of the money that we have to raise is going to be private donors that we're putting together the committee. But what happens when a delegate goes to a restaurant? That dishwasher, that waiter, that waitress, that bartender, the busboy or girl, you go and shop on 5th Avenue, that store clerk, you stop to get some hair supplies, that Duane Reade, this is a money generator for us. To have these Democrats come to this city and spend their Democratic dollars, so that Democratic voters can benefit from the Democratic economy, that's just a win, win, win. We are so excited about that, and it's a boost to our economy.

Mayor Adams: Now, the governor and I will tell you, we're on our way back. 95% of our hotels are occupant levels pre-pandemic. We had 450,000 people in Times Square a few weeks ago. People are coming back; you got to hear it. When you’re on the streets and you're watching people move around the streets, you'll see the invincibility of New York City, which produces the invisibility of America, what is born in the invincibility of a president that was put in office about the invincibility of a party. This is a great moment for America.

Mayor Adams: And when New York rises like in 9/11, we rose on 9/12. Once again, I say COVID was not terrorism, but it brought terror. And we showed the country, the invincibility of this country. And now, in the convention and even when we lead up to it, we're going to show once again, that this party is the party of the future.

Mayor Adams: And chair, this is the place to be. You right, governor, why are you going to other cities? This is the place to be, New York City. This is it. As Jay-Z said, "If you could make it anywhere... If you could make it here, you could make it anywhere." And we're going to make it again. We're going to produce another president.

[...]

Mayor Adams: Thank you.