Mayor Eric Adams delivered his most pointed criticisms yet of ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo amid the mayoral race.

“He incorrectly handled the nursing home issue. I think those family members are right," he said Monday about Cuomo’s handling of the COVID pandemic in the city. “There was [a] racial disparity in how he even dealt with vaccines. Black and brown communities were not being fairly vaccinated. We were not giving out face masks to NYCHA residents. Many of our nurses and hospitals didn’t have PPEs as they were deserved.” 

What You Need To Know

  • Mayor Eric Adams delivered his most pointed criticisms yet of ex-governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday amid the mayoral race 

  • Cuomo is the frontrunner in the race, raking in key endorsements and Black political support. Adams on hammered Cuomo for his handling of the pandemic 

  • The mayor said it impacted communities of color the most, despite those same people lining up behind Cuomo now 

This was the first time Adams has strongly come after the front-runner in the Democratic primary race for mayor.

“When I look at some of my Black and brown endorsers of the former governor, they need to go look at what I’ve been saying then on how COVID was unfairly [treated] and the responses were unfair to the diverse Black and brown communities," Adams said.

Adams' criticisms come as he has been doing little campaign fundraising or overt campaigning. 

Cuomo has been trying to capitalize on Adams' campaign inactivity, getting support from some labor unions and Black officials in the mayor’s political base.

The former governor also led candidates in the most recent campaign fundraising period. 

Adams said Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic and its impact in communities of color show he’s not the best person for the job. 

“He darn sure didn’t manage that crisis well like I managed COVID, like I managed 230,000 migrants and asylum seekers and like I was able to get the bond ratings to say no matter what fiscal crisis you were facing, you recovered us. And like I brought more jobs to the city in the city’s history and like I took 2,300 guns off our streets and brought down homicides and shootings. That’s what I call a good manager," he said.

Cuomo’s campaign shot back at Adams. 

Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for the campaign, in a statement, said, “New Yorkers are smart: they know the Mayor is a desperate man who is an Agent of Trump, and desperate men will do or say anything.”

Azzopardi noted that Cuomo’s nursing home directive was in line with the federal guidance at the time. Critics argued it led to thousands of deaths.

Azzopardi went on to note that the ex-governor opened vaccine sites in Jamaica, Queens, Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn and Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Azzopardi also mentioned the state was facing a PPE shortage. 

“The impact was real, and we need to analyze that. All of it needs to be part of the conversation as we talk about what we’re going to do in the future,” the mayor said.  

Adams also said that he's unofficially on the campaign trail every day — being the sitting mayor gives him the advantage of speaking to New Yorkers daily.