New York Gov Andrew Cuomo attacked Donald Trump from the pulpit of a Brooklyn church on Sunday, calling the president ‘the great Divider-in-Chief’ in a searing speech
New York Gov Andrew Cuomo escalated his row with Donald Trump by delivering a searing speech Sunday from the pulpit of a black church in Brooklyn in which he called the president ‘the great Divider-in-Chief’.
Addressing the congregation at First Baptist Church of Crown Heights, the Democratic governor said Trump is a ‘slick salesman’ who fooled many people in this country, but that he hasn’t fooled New Yorkers.
The speech came after Cuomo – who hopes to be elected for a third term this November – weathered several days of criticism for saying America ‘was never that great’ during a bill signing in Manhattan on Wednesday.
The president responded to Cuomo’s comment – a play on Trump’s Make America Great Again campaign slogan – in a series of tweets declaring that the governor’s career was ‘over’ as a result of the ‘total meltdown’.
Over the next few days, Cuomo appeared to pull back from the remark that he has admitted was ‘inartful’ in an attempt to save face.
However, he has continued to slam Trump directly, saying on Sunday: ‘Mr President, you are not taking this nation back in time, because we believe our best days are ahead of us, not behind us. And we will bring the light, and we will overcome, and we will vindicate this nation’s better angels together.’
Cuomo addressed the mostly-black congregation at First Baptist Church of Crown Heights after weathering days of criticism for saying America ‘was never that great’ at a bill signing
The Democrat is currently running for a third term as governor of New York
Cuomo told the congregation that New York’s Statue of Liberty is a symbol of America’s acceptance of people of all races, beliefs, languages and lifestyles. By contrast, he said, the wall Trump wants built along the border with Mexico represents rejection of those who are different.
The rest of Cuomo’s speech was peppered with a point-by-point attack on the policies, language and behavior of a president who lost his home state in the 2016 election.
He hammered Trump for creating what Cuomo called a ‘frightening portrait’ of today’s America.
‘You may be a slick salesman who fooled many people in this country, but you didn’t fool me and you didn’t fool New Yorkers,’ Cuomo said.
‘We know who you are and we’re going to rise up and tell this nation the truth about who you are, because when the voice of division is raised, a chorus of unity must rise in response.’
Addressing minority communities like the Crown Heights neighborhood, the governor noted that New York state has the strongest gun control law in the nation ‘because we’re tired of seeing people getting massacred on our streets,’ while the president ‘is blind to the suffering and pain of gun violence’.
Cuomo also touched on Trump’s attitude toward women, including former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman, whom Trump has called a ‘dog’ and a ‘lowlife’ after she publicly criticized him.
‘If a woman dares to speak up, then King Trump attacks her,’ Cuomo said.
Cuomo comments on Sunday have escalated his row with the president, who declared the governor’s career was ‘over’ after his ‘total meltdown’ on Wednesday
Trump blasted Cuomo in a Wednesday night tweet, writing: ‘”WE’RE NOT GONG TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, IT WAS NEVER THAT GREAT.” Can you believe this is the Governor of the Highest Taxed State in the U.S., Andrew Cuomo, having a total meltdown!’
Cuomo fired back at Trump on Twitter Friday afternoon, writing: ‘Let’s get something straight: America is great because it rejects your hate-filled agenda of bigotry & sexism’