Auburn Tigers men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl is not one to shy away from some of the hot-button political topics raging in the United States, and he dipped his toe in the water again on Tuesday.
Pearl applauded New York City Mayor Eric Adams after Adams dismissed criticism from the left regarding his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan.
Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl takes the court as the Auburn Tigers take on the Kent State Golden Flashes at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama, on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
“Thank you Mayor Adams!” Pearl wrote in a post on X.
Adams was asked at a press conference about whether he would meet with Homan, who was picked by President-elect Trump to lead the mass deportation operation he intends to launch after he is sworn into office.
He stressed the city’s openness to immigrants and emphasized the work being done to help migrants apply for Temporary Protected Status and work authorization, as well as services including case management for migrants. He said it has now seen a 21-week decrease in migrant arrivals.
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Thomas Homan speaks during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 17, 2024. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Adams said he was the one who reached out to Homan and wanted to speak with him and vowed he had no plans to be “warring” with the next administration.
As far as those on the left criticizing him, Adams pointed to past remarks by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama, who he said had called for the deportation of criminal illegal immigrants and brushed off what he said was “cancel culture.”
“Well, cancel me, because I’m going to protect the people of this city, and if you come into this country, in this city, and think you’re going to harm innocent New Yorkers and innocent migrants and asylum seekers, this is not the mayor you want to be in a city under,” he said.
Mayor Eric Adams holds an in-person media availability with members of his staff at City Hall on July 30, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Pearl has been outspoken about important geopolitical topics over the last year. Specifically, he has cast his support for Israel in the days, weeks and months after Hamas’ terrorist attack in the country last year.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
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