Mayor Eric Adams’s federal indictment on corruption charges has left him with few political friends, but he has found a kindred spirit and a surprisingly steadfast ally in Donald J. Trump.
The former president has repeatedly defended Mr. Adams as Election Day draws closer, arguing that they are similarly being targeted by overzealous prosecutors.
His latest show of support came on Thursday night at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a Catholic charity event in Manhattan that has become a near-required stop for presidential hopefuls.
“I know what it’s like to be persecuted by the D.O.J. for speaking out against open borders,” Mr. Trump said, referring to the Justice Department. “We were persecuted, Eric. I was persecuted, and so are you, Eric.”
Politics and indictments make for strange bedfellows, and it was a remarkable show of solidarity between a former Republican president and the Democratic mayor of the nation’s largest city and a liberal stronghold.
If the mayor were to be convicted and the former president were to return to the White House, Mr. Trump’s embrace of Mr. Adams has raised the prospect of a presidential pardon. Mr. Trump could also pressure the Justice Department to seek a more lenient approach at sentencing, or commute Mr. Adams’s sentence as he did in 2020 for Rod R. Blagojevich, a former Democratic governor of Illinois who was convicted of corruption.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Adams have much in common: They have sought to project an image of swagger and masculinity, they have been highly critical of press coverage, they have exhibited ideological fluidity and have been registered at times in both parties, and they have responded to their criminal cases by arguing — without evidence — that they were being unfairly targeted.
Fabien Levy, a spokesman for Mr. Adams, sought to downplay Mr. Trump’s remarks at the dinner: “People make jokes — and no one takes them seriously. It’s all done in the name of charity and to raise money for a good cause.”
Speeches at the dinner tend to be played for laughs and are filled with jokes at people’s expense. Mr. Trump mostly played along, but he seemed more serious when he discussed Mr. Adams and his predecessor, Bill de Blasio. Mr. Trump argued that he knew Mr. Adams would be indicted and predicted he would emerge unscathed.
“You’re going to win,” Mr. Trump said. “I think you’re going to win. I know you’re going to win. So good luck.”
Then he turned his attention to Mr. de Blasio. “He was a terrible mayor,” Mr. Trump said. “He did a horrible job. That’s not comedy, by the way — that’s fact.”
Mr. Trump has made similar remarks about Mr. Adams before and repeated his conspiracy theory in an interview on “Fox and Friends” on Friday morning.
“It seems very suspicious when he comes out against something,” he said, referring to Mr. Adams’s comments last year that an influx of 200,000 migrants was destroying the city.
“He did the right thing, but he got indicted,” Mr. Trump added. “They play weaponization.”
When Mr. Adams was indicted, he released a videotaped speech arguing that he was innocent and suggesting that his concerns over the migrant crisis had led to his being charged.
“I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you that I would be a target — and a target I became,” Mr. Adams said.
Mr. Adams has softened his tone since then, wary of upsetting Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove him and who is focused on helping to defeat Mr. Trump next month. But when Mr. Adams was asked recently if he welcomed support from Mr. Trump, he did not reject it.
“I welcome support from every American, no matter where they are and who they are,” he told reporters.
Mr. Adams’s spokesman later clarified that the mayor was not looking for Mr. Trump’s support. “Mayor Adams has said multiple times that he supports Kamala Harris for president,” Mr. Levy said. “In fact, the mayor traveled to Chicago to support her historic nomination in August.”
Mr. Adams was charged last month in a five-count federal indictment by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York with bribery conspiracy, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. Prosecutors say he conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal foreign campaign contributions and took official actions on its behalf while accepting luxury travel benefits.
Mr. Adams has faced calls to resign, and 69 percent of New Yorkers say he should step down, according to a poll this month by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. His administration has fallen into crisis; many of his aides are under investigation and have resigned.
Mr. Trump, for his part, has been at the center of at least four separate criminal cases, at the state and federal levels, in matters related to his business and political career. He was convicted in May in a case brought by the Manhattan district attorney of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal.
Mr. Adams has been reluctant to criticize Mr. Trump for months — a stark departure from Mr. de Blasio, who often eviscerated Mr. Trump over stances that he argued hurt the city. When Mr. Adams was asked this week if he had considered whether Mr. Trump, if elected, might curtail or drop the charges against him, Mr. Adams said: “I don’t speculate.”
The mayor added: “I’ve made clear who I’m supporting, and I’m focused on that.”
Despite Mr. Trump’s apparent affection for Mr. Adams, he did make one joke at the dinner at the expense of the mayor, who eats a mostly plant-based diet.
“The mayor’s dietary restrictions are well known, but I’ve got to say I’ve never met a person who’s a vegan who liked Turkey so much,” Mr. Trump said.
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