Local leaders respond to Trump interview

President Donald Trump’s remarks to the Wall Street Journal about upstate New York’s economy have local politicians firing back.

“I hope President Trump’s comments about Upstate New York were taken out of context,” said Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, R-22. “Upstate has a rich history of manufacturing products used around the world.”

Trump, in a Tuesday article, said New Yorkers can leave their homes to find work in other states.

“I’m going to start explaining to people: When you have an area that just isn’t working like upper New York state, where people are

getting very badly hurt, and then you’ll have another area 500 miles away where you can’t get people, I’m going to explain, you can leave,” Trump said. “It’s OK. Don’t worry about your house.”

“Instead of telling this community that the answer to all our problems is to pick up our lives and families to move far away, President Trump should be doing what he promised and help us create jobs here at home,” said Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi, D-119. Brindisi is also running for the 22nd District against Tenney. “His offensive ‘advice’ should have us all asking the president ‘just whose side are you on’?”

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente wrote on Twitter that he was “Disappointed in @realDonaldTrump a president from New York bashing Upstate New York. Sad. I had hoped for better.”

Trump carried Oneida County in the 2016 Presidential Election 51,437 to Hillary Clinton’s 33,743, and Madison County 15,936 to 11,667.

“Just last week, I had the honor of attending a Made in America event at the White House with President Trump,” Tenney said. “The president praised the hard work and ingenuity of the founders of Sherrill Manufacturing for reviving the only flatware manufacturer in the nation with a brand appropriately known as Liberty Tabletop. Instead of urging people to leave our region, we should be working to implement policies that help small business owners and family farmers to draw people and jobs back to our region.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office has not released a statement in regards to Trump’s comments.

The Dispatch left messages for both Sen. David Valesky, D- 53, and Assemblyman Bill Magee, D-121.