Mayor Adams hosts livestream with right-wing personality known for antisemitism

Mayor Eric Adams co-hosted a late-night livestream on Saturday from the porch at Gracie Mansion with Sneako, a right-wing internet personality known for sharing controversial and antisemitic opinions.

The pair smoked cigars and were joined by Adams’ son Jordan Coleman, TV personality Amber Rose, who spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention, and Sean Sudarshan Rajan, a businessman who’s supported President Donald Trump on social media.

Adams promoted a book written by Trump’s FBI Director Kash Patel, and encouraged the use of cryptocurrency to send money abroad.

The mayor’s appearance with Sneako, whose real name is Nico Kenn De Balinthazy, quickly drew criticism online. U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres posted to X: “Who’s next on the guest list—David Duke?”

It came as Adams has made combatting anti-Semitism a key piece of his re-election campaign. While he is not running in the Democratic primary this month, he plans to run on a separate ballot line in November’s general election, which will either be called “EndAntiSemitism” or “Safe&Affordable.”

Balinthazy has been banned from major internet platforms including YouTube, Twitch and Kick after his content violated the companies’ terms of service. He’s previously said “Down with the yahud [Jews]” on a livestream in March of 2024. Balinthazy has appeared on livestreams with other right-wing personalities like the prominent white nationalist Nick Fuentes. He was joined on a stream earlier this year by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, to preview a song called “Heil Hitler.”

The livestream from Gracie Mansion, which began just before 10:30 p.m. and ran until just before midnight, was the latest in a series of appearances by Adams with right-leaning personalities since the Department of Justice under Trump in February moved to drop the mayor’s federal corruption case.

Adams has since appeared on a "Fox & Friends" segment alongside Trump's "border czar" Tom Homan. He’s also visited Trump at the White House.

“Mayor Adams has been clear that living in silos and speaking into echo chambers accomplishes nothing," the mayor's spokersperson Kayla Mamelak Altus wrote in a statement. "As always, an interview is by no means an endorsement of the interviewer’s views.”

The group streaming from Gracie Mansion on Saturday night smoked branded cigars from The Billionaires Club, owned by Rajan, while discussing Adams' rise to become mayor, cryptocurrency and the “cover up” of former President Joe Biden’s health while in office.

“It’s clear now that [Democrats] knew that he was dealing with cognitive issues and the institution covered it up,” Adams said. “The media covered it up, they didn’t want to acknowledge that.”

Adams told his guests to read Patel’s book “Government Gangsters,” which argues a “deep state” used the legal system to go after Trump during and after his first term in the White House. The mayor has publicly recommended the book several other times this year.

Adams also said he’s focused on expanding the use of cryptocurrency, something he’s made a point of highlighting throughout his time in office.

"Particularly those who have family members out of the country, they could use Bitcoin, their digital assets to send money back home, to their loved ones, without paying exorbitant fees for doing so,” Adams said.

The mayor criticized the Southern District of New York, the U.S. Attorney office that brought the corruption case against Adams. He took issue with the office’s nickname as the "sovereign district” and said “no one is sovereign in America.”

Balinthazy mostly refrained from speaking during the stream. Near the end of the event, Adams asked Balinthazy how he got into producing internet content. “I’ve always wanted to speak up and have my voice heard,” Balinthazy explained.

“Love it,” Adams responded.

This story was updated with a comment from the mayor's office.