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New York Mayor Adams Describes America as Nation of Hunger and Oligarchs on Independence Day

Ben Shapiro Show · How the Left Spent America's 250th Birthday · July 7, 2026
New York Mayor Adams Describes America as Nation of Hunger and Oligarchs on Independence Day
Ben Shapiro Show
Ben Shapiro Show
How the Left Spent America's 250th Birthday
"We see the wealthiest country in the history of the world, one where children go to sleep hungry while the world's first trillionaire hungers for more. We see monopolies that dominate every industry and oligarchs who buy elections. We see masked agents terrorizing our streets, eating food cooked by our undocumented neighbors before spiriting them away in unmarked vans."
New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivered a July 4th address from George Washington's desk characterizing America as a nation of contradictions dominated by exploitation, hunger, and oligarchs buying elections. The speech framed American history through a lens of bondage, squalor, and wealth inequality rather than traditional Independence Day celebration themes. Adams' wife simultaneously skipped the domestic celebration to attend a $3,400 Islamic spiritual retreat in Spain.

About this episode

Host Ben Shapiro criticizes left-wing responses to America's 250th Independence Day celebration, contrasting progressive critiques of American history with conservative patriotism. The episode focuses primarily on New York City Mayor Eric Adams' July 4th address delivered from George Washington's desk, in which he characterized America as a nation of hunger, oligarchs, and exploitation rather than celebrating the anniversary. Shapiro highlights that Adams' wife skipped domestic celebrations to attend a $3,400 Islamic spiritual retreat in Spain. The host frames the political divide as one side celebrating America while the other views it as fundamentally flawed. Additional segments feature Abdul El-Sayed, likely Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, comparing Oklahoma's Sharia law ban attempt to the Trail of Tears genocide and attributing opposition to Islamic law to white supremacy. Shapiro also criticizes media figure Mehdi Hasan for quoting James Baldwin's qualified love of America and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib for tweeting only about a Michigan energy provider on Independence Day. The episode includes footage of a right-wing influencer called Sneo celebrating an 'Islamic Republic of New York,' whom Shapiro argues should be ejected from conservative circles. Throughout, Shapiro argues that the left has adopted an explicitly anti-American posture that undermines national unity and celebration of American exceptionalism.

Key takeaways

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