In a bid to ride the wave of social media trends, New York City Mayor Eric Adams posted a polished video of his “morning routine” to Instagram—only for viewers to catch a glaring contradiction that quickly turned the slick production into meme fodder.
The video, reminiscent of influencer-style content, shows Adams going through his daybreak motions: shaving, blending a smoothie, ironing a shirt, eating fruit, and heading out from Gracie Mansion in his official Chevy Suburban. The clips are overlaid with timestamps to simulate an efficient 9 a.m. start.
There’s just one problem. A wall clock in his kitchen clearly shows it’s 11:03 a.m. when Adams is mid-smoothie.
And the internet noticed.
“Mayor of Make-Believe Mornings”
The backlash was swift and, for many, hilarious.
“Time is just a social construct to Eric Adams,” one commenter quipped.
“The man shaved at brunch,” wrote another.
Screenshots from the video began circulating widely, with the now-infamous clock becoming a symbol of what critics are calling another performative misstep by a mayor whose approval ratings are spiraling.
The faux pas lands at a moment of deep political peril for Adams. A new Slingshot Strategies poll places him in a distant fourth for the upcoming NYC mayoral election, with only 11% support. Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani leads at 35%, with Andrew Cuomo at 25%, and Curtis Sliwa at 14%.
The erosion of support is particularly pronounced among Black voters, where Adams once enjoyed strong favor. Now, only 16% say they’d support him. Ironically, his best numbers come from Republicans—26% of whom still back him.
Style Over Substance?
While a time discrepancy may seem minor, critics argue it reveals something deeper: a fixation on optics over authenticity.
“This is Adams in a nutshell,” tweeted one political strategist. “Polished video, no substance, and a fake clock to top it off.”
Even political opponents took the opportunity to pile on. Mamdani’s campaign reposted the video with the caption:
“Time’s up.”
Meanwhile, former governor Cuomo’s team stayed quiet—though a staffer reportedly shared the video in a campaign Slack channel with a single emoji: 🫣.
Team Adams Responds
Campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro brushed off the snafu and the polling, stating:
“This is just another example of how out-of-touch and unreliable political polling—and the internet—has become.”
He declined to comment on whether the video had been staged or edited to portray an earlier start to the mayor’s day.
But online, few were buying it. “You can lie about the clock,” said one viewer, “but not the timestamp on my outrage.”
The Bigger Picture
The misstep might seem trivial, but it plays into growing skepticism over Adams’ leadership style. Since taking office, he’s faced criticism for prioritizing image over governance—jet-setting to international summits, posting flashy videos, and focusing on personal branding while the city grapples with crises in housing, policing, and immigration.
This latest incident—part influencer fantasy, part political gaffe—may further alienate voters already tired of smoke and mirrors.
And as one commenter perfectly summed it up:
“If you’re gonna fake a morning routine, at least hide the clock.”
