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Cuomo Unloads On "Clown" Trump, "Disrespected By His Own Family," On Conference Call

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Reacting to newsthat President Donald Trump wants to explore defunding what he called "anarchist jurisdictions" including New York City, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo used some of his harshest language about the president to date on a conference call with reporters Wednesday night.

WAMC's Ian Pickus was on the call and tweeted some highlights of the governor's comments, including when the Democrat said of Trump, "This is a man who is disrespected by his own family. His sister, a former federal judge, is disgraced by him. What does it say about a person, a man, who spends his time trying to destroy the place he came from?"

Cuomo claimed Trump moved to Florida because he would not be welcome back in New York, saying: "He is persona non grata in New York....he can't have enough bodyguards to walk through New York City."

"He'd better have an army if he thinks he's gonna walk down the street in New York City," Cuomo added.

At the end of the call, he attempted to walk that comment back slightly, saying he meant that the president would be rejected by New York residents. The governor, who tempered criticism of the president during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to the president as a "clown."

Cuomo said he didn't think the president would actually follow through with the defunding review because the move wouldn't stand up to legal scrutiny. It was the latest example of an ongoing struggle between Cuomo and the federal government over issues including the state and local tax deduction, immigration enforcement, the coronavirus response and the lack of state aid since the House passed the HEROES Act in May.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo · Governor Cuomo Responds to Report President Trump Has Ordered Federal Government to Defund NYC
On the call, Cuomo blamed Trump for New York's devastating COVID-19 numbers, and said "he did nothing" about the virus until March 15, instead blaming China for the virus.

On another subject, Cuomo deflected a question about whether he would campaign for Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden.

And he said he hadn't yet seen troubling video of the detentionof the late Daniel Prude in Rochester, although the video had been described to him. Cuomo said he would be watching the video later Wednesday night.

A lifelong resident of the Capital Region, Ian joined WAMC in late 2008 and became news director in 2013. He began working on Morning Edition and has produced The Capitol Connection, Congressional Corner, and several other WAMC programs. Ian can also be heard as the host of the WAMC News Podcast and on The Roundtable and various newscasts. Ian holds a BA in English and journalism and an MA in English, both from the University at Albany, where he has taught journalism since 2013.
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