© Jeenah Moon/Getty Images North America/TNS New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a media briefing at the Office of the Governor of the State of New York on July 23, 2020, in New York City.
ALBANY, N.Y. — A fuming Gov. Andrew Cuomo painted President Donald Trump as a “maniacal” “tabloid cartoon” who better watch his back if returns to the Big Apple after the commander-in-chief threatened to cut off federal funds to his hometown over rising crime.
The governor unleashed a lengthy tirade against Trump Wednesday evening, accusing the president of having a grudge against the city because New York “knows him for the joke he is.”
“We’re talking about the worst president for New York City in history,” Cuomo said during an evening call with reporters. “Those who know him best, like him least. That’s true of New York City, that’s true of his own family.”
Cuomo went on to say that Trump’s recent change of address to Florida was due to his no longer being welcome in his old Manhattan neighborhood.
“He was dismissed as a clown in New York City, those who know him best, like him least,” he said. “Forget bodyguards, he better have an army if he wants to walk down the streets in New York City.
“He couldn’t set foot in New York City,” he added.
Cuomo, who also sarcastically said he hopes the president doesn’t contract coronavirus in the Sunshine State, later walked back his vaguely threatening comments, saying that he simply meant that Trump is “persona non grata” in the city.
“That’s what I meant by the bodyguards,” he said.
The scathing call came after Trump signed a memo ordering federal agencies to send reports to the White House budget office detailing funds allotted to cities, specifically mentioning NYC, Seattle, Portland and Washington, D.C.
“My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones,” the memo reads. “(I)t is imperative that the Federal Government review the use of Federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America’s cities.”
The memo specifically mentions the recent rise in shootings throughout the U.S. and calls out other cities that have experienced prolonged protests against police brutality and racism.
Trump also directs federal agencies to consider whether cities cut funding for police or restricted local law enforcement from attempting to “restore order,” according to the document.
New York City’s recently passed budget redirected $1 billion in funding away from the NYPD.
The Department of Justice is tasked with developing a list of “anarchist jurisdictions” in two weeks and federal agencies are expected to review funds provided to those cities and restrict their eligibility for federal funds “where permissible,” the memo reads.
Cuomo budget director Rob Mujica said the city could stand to lose a whopping $7 billion in education, child care, Medicaid funds, calling the figure a “significant portion of the city’s overall budget.”
The president has described himself as the “law and order” candidate in recent months, making quelling unrest that has exploded across the country under his own watch a cornerstone of his reelection campaign.
Cuomo, calling Trump a “tabloid cartoon,” said he doesn’t believe anything will come of the memo, brushing it off as nothing more than a political statement and campaign tactic.
“He thinks he’s a king. He’s not,” the governor said. “There’s a Constitution and law, not that he knows anything about that. He’s not going to do anything because there are laws. I don’t believe anything will come of this it’s just a political statement.
“It’s cheap, it’s political and it’s gratuitous,” he added.
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Cuomo slams Trump as 'maniacal,' calls him a 'joke' for threatening to pull federal funds from NYC - MSN Money
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