‘He better have an army’: New York governor rips Trump
As the coronavirus pandemic was ravaging New York, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a video proclaiming that “New York loves everyone.”
But Cuomo seems to have carved out an exception for one New York native: President Donald Trump.
“He can’t have enough bodyguards to walk through New York City,” Cuomo told reporters during a conference call Wednesday. “Forget bodyguards. He better have an army if he thinks he’s going to walk down the streets in New York.”
After Trump moved to slash federal funding from several cities his administration labeled as “anarchist jurisdictions” late Wednesday, specifically singling out New York, Cuomo shot back. The commander in chief, he said, was “persona non grata” in their shared hometown.
“From the point of view of New York City, (Trump) has been the worst president,” Cuomo said. “President Ford said drop dead. President Trump has been actively trying to kill New York City ever since he was elected.”
The comments raised so many eyebrows online that a senior adviser to the governor later had to issue a clarification: No, Trump would not literally need protection on the streets of Manhattan, he said. The president had simply abandoned New York, he claimed.
Trump, for his part, had already complained about being “treated very badly” by New York political leaders when he moved his official residence to Florida last year.
The White House’s Wednesday memo claimed that state and local officials allowed looting to go on for a week. After the New York City Council slashed its $6 billion police budget by about $1 billion, it noted, the agency disbanded some anticrime units but rejected the White House’s offer to send in federal law enforcement. Cuomo did not address that point on the call.
Cuomo said the president had been “dismissed as a clown” by New York and was now trying to act like a king. “The best thing he did for New York City,” Cuomo said, “was leave.”