Appearing on NBC’s “Today” show, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo discussed his new book, “American Crisis,” that speaks of his “hard-won lessons in leadership and his vision for the path forward.” During the interview, Cuomo likened the COVID pandemic to a sporting event, claiming, “The game isn’t over.”
Cuomo’s comments enraged Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean, whose husband tragically lost both his parents to COVID-19; they were residents of assisted living facilities or nursing homes in New York. Dean fired on Twitter: “Profiting on the deaths of over 30,000 New Yorkers. … Also, the governor refers to the pandemic and the deaths of our loved ones (as) ‘a game.’”
Also, the governor refers to the pandemic and the deaths of our loved ones “a game.”
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) October 12, 2020
“Today” host Willie Geist asked Cuomo about the book, due to be released on Tuesday. “Let’s talk about the book, ‘American Crisis,'” he began. “I want to talk about some of the details of it. But just broadly, the idea that — can you see why a lot of people think if you say ‘We’re in the halftime of this,” that writing a book, a retrospective in the middle of it, sort of celebrating the things that you ‘did right,’ feels off and strange given what may be ahead?”
“No, Willie. It’s not a celebration at all. The game isn’t over,” Cuomo responded. “It is halftime. We didn’t lose; it’s only halftime. We had some success but we also are making a lot of mistakes. And when we go into the locker room as a nation and we talk about the first half, we better learn, because if we don’t learn the lessons, the second half is going to be worse. I can tell you that. We have to stop the denial; we have to stop the politics; we have to stop the partisanship. We’re dealing with a virus. The virus doesn’t respond to politics.”
Cuomo’s protestations vis-à-vis politics ring hollow in the face of his remarks in early September, when he attacked President Trump, ranting, “Donald Trump caused the COVID outbreak in New York. Donald Trump caused the COVID outbreak in New York. That is a fact. It’s a fact that he admitted and the CDC admitted and Fauci admitted. The China virus, the China virus, the China virus. It was not the China virus. It was the European virus that came to New York. They missed it. They missed it. The China virus went to Europe. It got on a plane. It went to Europe. They never even thought of the possibility. And then three million Europeans got on the plane and came to New York and they brought the virus.”
“We’re seven months into this; the president has a Rose Garden ceremony, gets COVID, comes out and says that was no big deal,” Cuomo continued to Geist. “I mean, it’s incredible how little we have learned in seven months and we have to get smarter and we have to get better.”
In June, Dean slammed CNN for a nine-minute interview with Cuomo in which they never asked him about the state’s prior policy on returning nursing home residents to their homes even if they had the virus.
Dean tweeted, “@CNN doesn’t ask @NYGovCuomo about nursing home deaths. Shame on @PoppyHarlowCNN and @jimsciutto. Bravo to @SRuhle on @MSNBC for being a journalist.”
She followed by tweeting, “How hard is it to ask the question about 6,000+ New York seniors that were sitting ducks thanks to @NYGov Cuomo’s order to contaminate nursing homes with Covid positive patients? What if it was 6,000 kids? Would that make a difference? It shouldn’t. Do your job @CNN.”
How hard is it to ask the question about 6,000+ New York seniors that were sitting ducks thanks to @NYGovCuomo’s order to contaminate nursing homes with Covid positive patients? What if it was 6,000 kids? Would that make a difference? It shouldn’t. Do your job @CNN
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) June 22, 2020
Dean continued, “Actually I amend this tweet. I don’t think @NYGovCuomo has EVER been asked the nursing home death question on @CNN. So Jim and Poppy would’ve broken new ground over there had they asked it.”
Sciutto replied weakly, “We pressed him on: -NYers flouting health restrictions during reopening -Why NY waited six years after Eric Garner to ban chokeholds -Potential barriers to mail-in voting during 2nd wave. As journalists, we press officials of both parties every day,” adding snidely, “Thank you for watching.”
Dean fired back, “You had 9 minutes to ask him a very important question. A question @NYGov Cuomo rarely gets asked on your channel. 6,000+ deaths. An order that was scrubbed off the government website. Don’t you think our families deserve answers? Nice try though. Good use of dashes.”
You had 9 minutes to ask a very important question. A question @NYGovCuomo rarely gets asked on your channel. 6,000 + deaths. An order that was scrubbed off the government website. Don’t you think our families deserve answers? Nice try though. Good use of dashes. https://t.co/dNxk7YSilU
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) June 22, 2020