New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio blasted President Donald Trump on Wednesday for smearing states led by Democrats and painting federal COVID-19 assistance as a “bailout” for those states.
“John, it’s astounding that he even introduces the question of red states and blue states,” de Blasio told CNN anchor John Berman. “He’s saying it out loud. He is politicizing a pandemic, not being patriotic, not talking about all Americans and how to bring us all back together.”
“We’re all connected,” the mayor added.
He accused Trump of “turning his back because of partisan affiliation.”
“Who does that?” de Blasio asked. “What kind of president in the middle of a crisis says ‘I’m going to help you but I’m not going to help you because of what’s on your voter registration card?'”
The mayor pointed out that federal assistance needs to go to all cities and states, or else “there will not be a national economic recovery, period.”
De Blasio was responding to Trump’s interview with the New York Post, during which the President said that Congress was not “inclined to do bailouts” for states like New York and California, which he claimed have been “mismanaged over a long period of time.”
“It’s not fair to the Republicans because all the states that need help–they’re run by Democrats in every case,” Trump said while heaping praise upon GOP-led Texas and Florida for “doing phenomenal.”
Watch de Blasio below:
Bill de Blasio accuses Trump of "politicizing a pandemic." pic.twitter.com/RoKnq77pzY
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) May 6, 2020
