Democrat New York City Mayor Eric Adams ignited anger on social media Tuesday over comments he made knocking a red state like Kansas for having no “brand” compared to New York.
Speaking at a press conference, Adams boasted about New York’s rich brand while characterizing people from Kansas as bland with nothing interesting to offer.
“We have a brand. New York has a brand. When people see it, it means something,” he said. “Kansas doesn’t have a brand.”
The comment prompted laughter among those around Adams as he went on to say that Kansans are just people from Kansas while New Yorkers share something special.
People on social media rightly noted that Kansas has a rich history and a vibrant culture while New York has become a crime-infested homeless den where only rich elites enjoy its special brand.
The mayor’s statement recalls what comedian Bill Maher said on his HBO show in 2019, suggesting that Republicans in red states are secretly jealous of culturally rich blue states.
“We have a problem in America called spatial geographic inequality which means the most affluent and educated people are clustered in just a few cities,” Maher said. “We have orchestras and theater districts and world-class shopping. We have Chef Wolfgang Puck, they have Chef Boyardee.”
“Maybe that has something to do with why Trump voters are obsessed with ‘owning the libs.’ Because the libs own everything else,” he continued.
Maher then urged Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to start investing in a state like Mississippi to give those voters a better economy and prevent them from voting Republican.
“The blue parts of America are having a big prosperity party while the big sea of red feels like their invitation got lost in the mail — and they still use the mail,” he said. “The fly-over states have become the passed-over states, that’s why red state voters are so pissed off. They don’t hate us, they want to be us.”