New York City Mayor Eric Adams has attributed Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential election defeat to the Democratic Party’s failure to address real issues while relying on fear tactics about Donald Trump being a “fascist” or “the next Hitler.”

Speaking with Fox News host Martha MacCallum on Wednesday, Adams discussed the illegal immigration crisis affecting New York City and shared his views on the Democrats’ shortcomings.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams on Democrat party messaging failures: "We stopped speaking to people and we started speaking at people. You're asking if Donald Trump is Hitler? What are you talking about?" pic.twitter.com/OPSbMigMyE

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) December 18, 2024

When asked about President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping victory over Harris, including his significant gains in the traditionally Democratic five boroughs of New York City, Adams criticized the party’s approach.

“We stopped speaking to people, we started speaking at people,” Adams said. “Not hearing the people and you engaging in dialogue while individuals are fearful of affordability, losing their home, the future of their children, and you’re having these intellectual conversations, and people are, like, saying, what the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m hurting and you’re asking, ‘Is Donald Trump Hitler or not?'” he added. “It’s just not talking to the real needs of the people.”

According to The New York Post, Trump saw dramatic improvements in his performance compared to 2020, gaining over 22 percentage points in the Bronx and Queens and making notable gains on Long Island and in other boroughs, including Manhattan.

Adams also criticized the Biden administration’s open border policies and the misuse of sanctuary city status in New York City. He argued that the sanctuary city designation had been manipulated to enable illegal immigrants committing criminal acts, deviating from its original intent.

“Sanctuary city is totally different from a manmade crisis that we saw,” Adams said. “This is what sanctuary city states: If you’re in this city and you are paying taxes, you buy a loaf of bread, you pay taxes, those are your tax dollars. You have a right to the services of the city.”

He clarified that sanctuary city policies are meant to support those participating legally as they pursue citizenship or legal status, not as a haven for criminals.

Shortly after Trump’s re-election in November, Adams announced cuts to taxpayer-funded services for illegal immigrants and pledged to collaborate with Trump’s Border Czar, Tom Homan, to deport illegal immigrant criminals.