On Tuesday night, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio attempted to troll President Trump, tweeting a video of himself standing outside Gracie Mansion, waving a mask at the public before putting it on and saluting as the caption read, “In New York City we wear our masks, proudly.”
In New York City we wear our masks, proudly. pic.twitter.com/YTZDGu2pzG
— City of New York (@nycgov) October 6, 2020
Conservatives responded en masse; Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) replied Wednesday morning with a zinger of his own, noting sardonically on Twitter, “Wait…at the start of this video…he has no mask. On a balcony. Outside. Clearly, DeBlasio wants to kill everyone.”
Wait…at the start of this video…he has no mask. 😱😱
On a balcony. Outside.
Clearly, DeBlasio wants to kill everyone. https://t.co/xZyqjfyQCq
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 7, 2020
Last April, de Blasio faced instant and widespread backlash over a tweet that singled out the “Jewish community” in threatening arrests for not following social distancing guidelines.
De Blasio tweeted: “My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.”
My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) April 29, 2020
Cruz responded: “Would DeBlasio have sent this identical tweet with the word ‘Jewish’ replaced by any other religious minority? If not, why not? Laws should be enforced neutrally w/o targeting religious faith. #ProtectFreeExercise.”
Would DeBlasio have sent this identical tweet with the word “Jewish” replaced by any other religious minority? If not, why not? Laws should be enforced neutrally w/o targeting religious faith. #ProtectFreeExercise https://t.co/dMVcX0bin4
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 29, 2020
Cruz wasn’t alone in mocking de Blasio after his Trump/mask video; former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee pointed out, “DeBlabbio creates laugh of the year–putting on mask like Superman w/ a cape and salutes…no one. The place is empty. Like all of NY-empty-thanks to this incompetent socialist.”
DeBlabbio creates laugh of the year–putting on mask like Superman w/ a cape and salutes…no one. The place is empty. Like all of NY-empty-thanks to this incompetent socialist. https://t.co/Fhedx2h0Yh
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) October 7, 2020
There were others:
This is the moron who is destroying the largest city in America at astonishing speed ⬇️ https://t.co/OXu1Ey0HBl
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) October 7, 2020
De Blasio is the embodiment of cringe https://t.co/C5XPzvV7Ge
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) October 7, 2020
Someone needs to teach @NYCMayor how to salute…or better yet, BDB should NEVER be allowed to salute
What a truly bizarre video…I don’t even live in NYC, but I’m embarrassed on its behalf. https://t.co/ehWo9Eg8D1
— Pat Ryan 🇺🇸 (@PatRyanUC) October 7, 2020
New York voted for this guy…twice. https://t.co/pnLCTyhhx9
— Carol Roth (@caroljsroth) October 7, 2020
He needed a new mask because the last one had a huge bong resin stain right in the center. https://t.co/h7z42tKjdk
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) October 7, 2020
On Sunday, de Blasio announced he wanted to shut down huge swaths of the city, asserting, “We’re having an extraordinary problem—something we haven’t seen since spring. Today, unfortunately, is not a day for celebration. Today is a more difficult day,” the New York Post reported.
“Under the mayor’s proposal, nine COVID-19 hot-spot neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens would lock down starting Wednesday, meaning all non-essential businesses would close, as well as indoor and even outdoor restaurant dining. In addition, all public and private schools would also be shut down,” The Daily Wire added.
De Blasio added that the lockdowns “will require the support and approval of the state’’ and that city officials would be holding “intensive’’ talks with the New York state administration, explaining, “This can only happen with state approval. We’ll be working to get approval.”
In late September, New Yorkers reportedly painted a massive mural on a Brooklyn street targeting de Blasio and New York Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo stating, “F*** Cuomo And De Blasio,” The Daily Wire noted.
“The not-so-subtle shout-out to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio went up around 1 a.m. Saturday on North 15th Street between Wythe Avenue and Banker Street in Williamsburg, during the waning hours of an annual block party which this year doubled as a ‘small business owner protest,'” the New York Post reported. “The all-caps, block-length message was in the style of city-sanctioned projects reading ‘Black Lives Matter’ that sprang up during the summer’s fierce protests over police bias and racial injustice — including one outside Manhattan’s Trump Tower, which has become a vandalism magnet.”
“A few partygoers got the idea to paint in huge [letters, using] yellow paint with rollers on North 15th, ‘F–k Cuomo and de Blasio,’” a person told the New York Post. “The party continued. Everyone took photos. It was a big hit. The crowds cheered, even the cops chuckled.”
New Yorkers painted a massive "f*ck Cuomo and De Blasio" on a street in Brooklyn. https://t.co/nMffrgL28d pic.twitter.com/nUYUUeJ8ri
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) September 21, 2020