By Kristen Holmes, Gloria Pazmino, Alayna Treene, CNN

(CNN) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams is putting up a fight, at least for now, denying that he is planning to exit the race for mayor to take a job in the Trump administration even as conversations are said to be continuing about possible roles for the embattled first-term mayor.

Saying he wanted to speak “directly to New Yorkers,” Adams struck a defiant tone standing in the backyard of Gracie Mansion on Friday, saying he would continue to campaign towards the general election and accusing former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of working to push him out of the race.

“Andrew Cuomo is a snake and a liar,” Adams told reporters. “I am in this race, and I’m the only one that can beat Mamdani.”

Adams scheduled the last-minute remarks following multiple reports that aides to President Donald Trump were working up a plan to offer him a job in the administration as part of an effort to help clear the field for Cuomo. The former governor is running in the race as an independent after losing to democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in the June Democratic primary.

Adams, the city’s second Black mayor who has cast himself as a blue-collar executive who understands the struggles of working-class New Yorkers, tried to appeal to voters directly, highlighting some of the successes of his administration, including a drop in crime and low unemployment.

“I have two spoiled brats running for mayor,” Adams said. “They were born with silver spoons in their mouths, not like working-class New Yorkers. I’m a working-class New Yorker. They are not like us.”

While he insists he is staying in the race, sources close to Adams have acknowledged the situation has become untenable and warn that the mayor’s position could change quickly. One source familiar with his thinking said that Adams was coming to the grips with the idea that he may only serve one term as mayor. The sources have also emphasized Adams has not received a formal offer from Trump’s administration.

A spokesperson for the Cuomo campaign declined to comment.

Mamdani, asked by CNN’s Abby Phillip on Friday why he thinks Adams is staying in the race, said, “I cannot speak to Eric Adams’ motivations or his interests. I can just tell you that it’s been a lot of noise these last few, few weeks.”

“And we’ve seen that this is the specialty of Donald Trump and his puppets — a lot of noise, few results,” Mamdani added on “NewsNight.”

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he believed the mayor’s race against Mamdani could not be won if there were multiple people in the field. He denied offering Adams an ambassadorship but said he believed Cuomo would have a better shot at beating Mamdani, who he referred to as a “communist.”

“He is free to do what he wants,” Trump said of Adams. “If it’s not one-on-one it’s going to be a hard race.”

Adams met privately with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff earlier this week to discuss potential opportunities to join the Trump administration, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

One of the possibilities is an ambassadorship, with countries in discussions including Saudi Arabia, two people with knowledge of the conversations told CNN.

Nothing has been finalized, the individuals cautioned, describing the conversations as ongoing and extremely fluid.

“While I will always listen if called to serve our country, no formal offers have been made. I am still running for reelection, and my full focus is on the safety and quality of life of every New Yorker,” Adams said Thursday in a statement.

Witkoff is one of Trump’s most trusted advisers. A source familiar with their meeting noted that nothing was offered to Adams, but that privately the president has indicated he would like to offer Adams a role in the administration. The source also said that the meeting was kept at a close hold even within the walls of the White House, and many aides only learned through news reports Wednesday about the initial outreach from Trump allies to Adams.

The New York Times first reported Witkoff and Adams’ meeting.

Adams leaving the race could potentially allow Cuomo to consolidate the opposition vote to Mamdani, who shocked Cuomo in June’s Democratic primary but has elicited concerns from some top Democrats about his democratic socialist views.

Mamdani, in turn, has accused Cuomo of allying with Trump and challenged the president to a one-on-one debate.

CNN’s Mark Morales and Kaanita Iyer contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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