New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday said the nation's youth are being “radicalized to hate America” following the killing of UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Officer Brian Thompson in Manhattan earlier this month.
Thompson, 50, was fatally shot by suspect Luigi Mangione, 26, on Dec. 4. When Magione was arrested in Pennsylvania on Dec. 9, police found a 3-D printed pistol, suppressor and a letter that criticized the health care industry.
“Think about the shooter. Ivy League, grew up in an affluent household. His manifesto clearly is showing some signs of hating,” said Adams during his regular press conference on Monday. “This person had all that one wants to have, but he hated everything, to the point of shooting someone.”
The mayor acknowledged the anger many people have in this country towards health insurance companies over “claims denied or slow payments," but also denounced social media posts celebrating the executive's death. "No matter how angry we are, you cannot take a weapon, a ghost gun, put a silencer on it, target someone, and shoot them. That's the bottom line," he said.
"And we better deal with the radicalization of our young people," the mayor added. "I'm seeing our bench is hating the team. And we better start acknowledging and focusing on that. And so, having dance parties celebrating the death of someone, I don't support that."
The mayor also addressed the sudden resignation of his Chief Adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin.
“She's not only a friend, but she's my sister,” said Adams.
Prosecutors investigating allegations of corruption against Lewis-Martin presented evidence to a grand jury and are expected to indict the former chief adviser soon, according to media reports. The mayor did not directly answer questions regarding Lewis-Martin, referring them all to her lawyer.
“It's going to be hard to believe I walk out my office and she's not going to be in the office next to me," he said.
The mayor also said it was not uncommon for candidates to be denied matching campaign funds so early in the race, after the New York City Campaign Finance Board on Monday decided to deny his campaign millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded matching funds for his re-election bid in 2025.
“We're going to continue to work with CFB to answer any questions that they have so that we can continue to get the funding,” said Adams. “Even without the funding, we have outraised substantially everyone else that's in the race.”
Adams also defended the creation of a second charter revision commission that will focus on housing, following push back from some elected officials that say the mayor is trying to take away power from the City Council.
The mayor’s second charter revision stands to block an announced plan by the City Council to roll out their own Charter Revision Commission for next year’s election, according to the New York Daily News.
“When I veto a bill and they override that veto, you never hear me complain,” said Adams. “My Charter Commission's ability to override any City Council Charter Commission, that's not Eric's law. That law was in place under the previous mayors.”
The chief executives of the Robin Hood Foundation, an organization fighting poverty, and the YMCA of Greater New York will head the mayor's second commission, which will be tasked with making some housing proposals. Voters passed five out of the six proposals that were suggestion by the first charter revision commission during the November election.
Adams also said the city is in a much better place with recent rain and snowfall, and downgraded the city to a drought watch, the least severe level of drought advisories. The city’s total capacity of stored water as of Dec. 16 sits at 68.2%, which is still below the average of 82.8%.
The mayor also praised the expansion of Citi Bike services throughout the city, including in Brownsville, East New York, Kensington and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn.
The initiative will add more than 250 docking stations and bring 2,900 new bikes into circulation, half of which will be electric. When completed, 64% of New Yorkers will live within a five minute walk from a Citi Bike station.
