Eric Adams sworn in as mayor of New York City

Adams got right to work. He took the subway to City Hall on 1 January to be at his desk by 8.30am, and held a cabinet meeting half an hour later.

The New York Times, nominally friendly, found space to list his achievements only as creating universal kindergartens, eating pizza with a fork, setting a record for tallest mayor and accidentally dropping a groundhog named Charlotte, which later died of its injuries.

He appears, in many ways, more accustomed to the rhythm of the city and its relationship with its commercial reason for being. Business leaders, hoping to stem an exodus of firms and high-earners, say they see signs that Adams will be more focused on economic development and on addressing rising crime levels.