A day after federal prosecutors argued that the charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams should be dropped because they are making it harder for him to govern and campaign for re-election, he spent his Thursday in the Bronx trying to do a little bit of both. That started with a hero's welcome and chants of "four more years" when he walked in to a meeting of the New York Hispanic Clergy Association in Crotona Park. Adams told News 12 he was expecting that sort of reception, since "we get that reaction everywhere on the ground. When you read, you would think Eric would not get reactions like this, but when you start to walk with me and be in the community, you see a totally different response." During his time in the meeting, he painted himself as someone who both welcomes immigrants, but also believes in safety, saying "I'm not here to war with the president. I'm here to work with the president."

The room full of supporters, including Christian Community Church Pastor Ruben Diaz Sr., appreciated the time, saying "he's doing the right thing, he wants to bring law and order." "He's been doing wonderful, wonderful, wonderful work," agreed another attendee, Francisco Berrios, the pastor At New Jerusalem Pentecostal Church. All the praise had Adams feeling confident about his future, saying on the way out "When you see what happened here today, I cannot say it any clearer, a few number of people want me to step down, I'm going to step up." From there, he made the short drive to the NYPD's 40th Precinct in the South Bronx, where he joined other local officials for a big announcement about new funds to clean up The Hub. Things did not go as smoothly though, as his staff cut the press conference short when questioned about the governor and the lawsuit would not go away. "It is beyond the point of distraction, it has certainly veered into a lane that feels dangerous, harmful," said New York State Assemblymember Amanda Septimo afterwards. "This has become a national story and it's really a national embarrassment at this point."