Gov bristles at his ‘Crisis’ book critics

Gov. Cuomo got defensive Wednesday about his upcoming book on New York’s battle with the coronavirus pandemic — even though he says that the Empire State is only “at halftime” when it comes to the health crisis.

“I announced I’m doing a book on COVID. They say I’m doing a history of COVID. No, my book is not about the history of COVID, because it’s not over,” a ruffled Cuomo said unprompted during a conference call with reporters.

“It is what we have learned, what we should learn, what we must do, how we handled this and what we need to do in the second half of the game,” said Cuomo, adding, “As we sit in the midst of it today, we need to prepare for the second wave.”

The three-term Democrat’s latest tome, titled “American Crisis,” will be released on Oct. 13, it was revealed this week.

It’s retailing for $30 a copy and is already labeled a bestseller by Barnes & Noble.

Cuomo said that any proceeds from the book will be donated to a “COVIDrelated entity.”

The book’s publisher, Crown, called the book a “remarkable portrait of leadership during crisis and a gritty story of gutwrenching choices that point the way to a safer future for us all.”

There was no indication as to whether the work would include Cuomo’s botched response to COVID-19 in nursing homes, where at least 6,400 New Yorkers died as a result of the contagion.

Some state lawmakers and other politicians have criticized Cuomo for penning the book after the virus killed more than 25,000 New Yorkers.