After Stepping Down as Mayor of New York City, He Pivoted to Selling Cryptocurrency

By: blockbeats|2026/01/13 12:00:01
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Original Title: Pitching Crypto and Needling Mamdani: Adams's Post-Mayoralty Takes Shape
Original Authors: Nicholas Fandos, Debra Kamin, The New York Times
Original Translation: Mah, Foresight News
Editor's Note: Today, just two weeks after leaving office, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams has launched the "NYC" cryptocurrency. Uniswap founder Hayden Adams has commented on this event, strongly criticizing celebrities and politicians for engaging in fraudulent behavior using blockchain. He pointed out that celebrities should profit from blockchain technology through legitimate means, such as issuing tokens while maintaining liquidity, providing real value to holders, and maintaining project transparency. For celebrities, only by honestly running a blockchain project can they gain more benefits, protect their reputations, and avoid legal actions. This article is from The New York Times and provides a more detailed account of this event, as follows:

Two weeks ago, Eric Adams held one of the most powerful positions in the American government; today, he stands under the neon billboards of Times Square, promoting a cryptocurrency themed after New York City.

For anyone else, such a shift in role might be embarrassing, but the former mayor of New York is all smiles, enthusiastically discussing the advantages of blockchain technology and pledging not to profit from it at the moment.

"I've missed you all so much, ladies and gentlemen." He addressed a group of reporters, then quickly shifted the conversation to criticize the "serious mistakes" made by his successor, talk about business opportunities in capitals overseas, and candidly mention that his experience in areas such as garbage collection in municipal services has now become a monetizable "professional asset."

After Stepping Down as Mayor of New York City, He Pivoted to Selling Cryptocurrency

This is his first public appearance since stepping down on January 1, but it was brief as he had to catch a flight. He will first head to Dallas and then travel to Senegal, where he claims more opportunities await.

The 65-year-old Adams is the most unconventional mayor in New York City's history: from a working-class background, a former policeman who has faced federal charges for his pursuit of a lavish lifestyle. All signs indicate that his post-mayoral career will continue in this "unconventional" style.

Just in the past two weeks, he met with a Saudi prince in Dubai, visited the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and repeatedly criticized his successor, Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of overturning some of his pro-Israel policies introduced during his tenure. This move broke the unwritten tradition of the outgoing mayor showing respect for their successor.

Many details of Adams' various business dealings are still shrouded in mystery, including his partner in a cryptocurrency project. But his post-mayoral core demands have become increasingly clear: restore personal reputation, attack the successor, and repay the huge debts incurred due to legal proceedings. As for the priority among these three, there is currently no consensus.

"I will not look for a 9-to-5 job again." Adams said, "I only work for myself."

Adams is not the only one planning his livelihood after leaving office, also directing his criticism towards Mamdani. Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is finalizing a deal to host a weekly show on the conservative talk radio station WABC. During his unsuccessful election campaign, he was a frequent guest on this station.

According to the New York Post, the show will provide Cuomo with a fixed platform to promote his centrist Democratic Party political ideas, and he is likely to take the opportunity to criticize Mamdani. Cuomo has previously referred to Mamdani as an "extreme left radical."

The station's owner, Republican billionaire John Catsimatidis, stated that he does not plan to pay Cuomo a salary but simply wants to help him after his failed election campaign. The two sides have not yet finalized the time slot for the show. "We are saddened by his experience, and we deeply love New York," Catsimatidis said. "He wants to stay in the public eye and stay connected with New Yorkers."

However, as of now, Adams' post-mayoral performance is undoubtedly more eye-catching.

Just hours after attending Mamdani's inauguration ceremony, he and his longtime girlfriend Tracey Collins boarded an Emirates flight to Dubai. In addition to the Saudi prince, he was also photographed meeting with several wealthy Israeli and Uzbek businessmen.

Numerous current and former political figures attended Zohran Mamdani's mayoral inauguration, with Adams also among them

He had dinner with real estate agent and reality TV star Eleonora Srugo and took a photo with Amir Marashi, which he posted on social media. Marashi, born in Iran, is a gynecologist in New York and a women's health advocate specializing in procedures such as vaginal rejuvenation surgery.

Meanwhile, Adams has been closely monitoring the developments in New York City. He has been active on social media, expressing his dissatisfaction with Mamdani's governance, such as Mamdani's overturning of the city's previous definition of anti-Semitism expansion and questioning some of his personnel appointments.

"Everyone deserves a grace period, but hate allows no one that grace," Adams said at Monday's event.

On the other hand, Mamdani, at another event, refused to respond to Adams's criticisms.

Adams's interest in cryptocurrency was not born overnight. During his mayoral term, he had chosen to receive his first paycheck in cryptocurrency form; he is close friends with cryptocurrency billionaire Brock Pierce, and last fall, before dropping out of the re-election race, Pierce and other cryptocurrency industry figures had supported his campaign financially.

Adams had made "Supporting Israel, Combating Anti-Semitism" a core part of his administration during his term. This time, he has also packaged this new token as a charity project, stating that its proceeds will be used to combat anti-Semitism, anti-Americanism, and "teach children to embrace blockchain technology."

The official website of the token shows that its total supply will reach 1 billion tokens. Adams stated that he would donate some of the token's proceeds to nonprofit organizations dedicated to the above causes and mentioned that he would not take a salary or any compensation at least initially.

"NYC Token is a new generation cryptocurrency inspired by the never-ending energy and innovative spirit of New York City," the project's website states. "Based on cutting-edge blockchain technology, we are building a decentralized financial ecosystem, whose ambition is second to none other than this city."

Nevertheless, Adams seemed inadequate in describing the project details on multiple occasions. At Monday's event and in an interview with Fox News, he repeatedly mistakenly referred to this new product as "New York City Coin."

Adams's image prominently appears on the token's website, inviting visitors to "Buy Now," but as of Monday evening, all purchase links on the website were inaccessible.

The former mayor stated that he is also exploring other business ventures, including advancing related plans on his trip to Africa this week.

"I realize that many of the services New York City has, even something as basic as garbage collection, are hard to come by in many places around the world," Adams said. "I plan to offer this kind of help to other cities and countries."

All of this has inevitably raised questions about Adams’s future in New York. Earlier, he had expressed a desire to retire in a city overseas rather than return to his residence in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

However, two people familiar with the matter said the former mayor still plans to make New York City his base of operations and intends to rent an apartment in Manhattan, preferably with a view. Adams himself sought to dispel any doubts during Monday’s event. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said.

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