Cuomo on the future: 'I was never running for president'

FPI / April 1, 2020

The man being floated by many in the corporate media and within his own party as a late-in-the-game replacement for the bumbling Joe Biden says he's not interested in the presidency just yet.

At a Monday press conference, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo insisted he is not running for president in 2020.

“I am not going to rise to the debate of a political challenge,” Cuomo, a Democrat, said. “I am not running for president. I was never running for president. I said from day one I wasn’t running for president.”

Cuomo's approval rating has skyrocketed amid the coronavirus crisis as many have lauded the governor's response.

A new poll shows that 87 percent of New Yorkers now approve of Cuomo’s job performance, up from 44 percent in February, prompting many to speculate that Cuomo could turn that popularity into a run for the White House.

Democrats have been talking about needing a Plan B if Biden, who has all but wrapped up the nomination, continues to flounder.

A Draft Cuomo 2020 account on Twitter announced that “Times have changed & we need Gov. Cuomo to be the nominee. Our next POTUS must be one w/an ability to lead thru this crisis.”

President Donald Trump’s said on Fox and Friends Monday morning that Cuomo would be a better presidential candidate for Democrats than Biden.

“I wouldn’t mind running against Andrew. I’ve known Andrew for a long time,” Trump said. “I wouldn’t mind that, but I’ll be honest. I think he’d be a better candidate than Sleepy Joe.”

Cuomo said: “I thank the president because I take his comment as a compliment.”

Cuomo has commended Trump for helping hard-hit New York during the coronavirus outbreak, and said that playing politics during a national crisis was “inappropriate, counterproductive, and anti-American.”

“I am not engaging the president in politics,” Cuomo said. “My only goal is to engage the president in partnership. This is no time for politics.”

Free Press International