President Donald Trump believes New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) would have been a viable presidential candidate.
During a phone interview with Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” on Monday, Trump was asked about the speculation that Cuomo would be a more suitable presidential candidate for the Democratic party —better than Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden.
The president admitted that he also agreed. Amid the rapid spread of the coronavirus outbreak in New York, Cuomo has gained national notoriety for leading the United States’ pandemic epicenter.
Over the last couple of weeks, Trump has been in close contact with Cuomo as they navigate through counter-coronavirus response efforts for the hard-hit Empire state.
But despite their efforts to combat the outbreak, Trump revealed he has known Cuomo for quite some time. When asked, hypothetically, about the possibility of running against Cuomo in a presidential election, Trump admitted that he wouldn’t mind running against him.
“I’ve known Andrew a long time. I wouldn’t mind that. But, I’ll be honest, I think he’d be a better candidate than ‘Sleepy Joe,'” Trump said. “I wouldn’t mind running against Andrew. I don’t mind running against Joe Biden.”
Check out Trump’s remarks below:
Trump continued, “I think probably Andrew would be better,” Trump continued “I’m telling you right now, you know, I want somebody at this country, that is going to do a great job, and I hope I’m going to win. The polls say I’m going to win.”
“I’ve gotten great marks also,” he added. “We want to always make sure we have a great president; we have somebody that’s capable.”
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Cuomo’s approval ratings have also soared to more than 80%. Americans have been impressed with the way he has handled the crisis and represented the state of New York.
However, Trump insists Cuomo’s success is not his alone. The president argues its a result of the help Cuomo has received from the White House.
“One of the reasons he’s successful is because we’ve helped make him successful,” he said.
