Being “tough on crime” has worked for conservative politicians for decades, and it worked for Adams too. But quickly, Adams’ actual conservative policies and resolute unseriousness about governance knocked him out of the public’s good graces.

The roughly 50-minute interview with Carlson, a former Fox News host and well-known ally of President Donald Trump, aired on the first full day of the second Trump administration. The previous day, the mayor canceled his appearances at Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in New York City to accept a last-minute invitation to Trump’s inauguration.

In a talk with Tucker Carlson, whom he once criticized, Adams claimed the Democratic party left him because of his immigration views.