New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo joined his little brother, Chris Cuomo, on Monday for an interview where he was asked about the possibility that he may enter the 2020 presidential race.
The segment comes as Cuomo has seen his approval rating on his handling of the coronavirus outbreak skyrocket to 87% among New Yorkers in a new Siena College poll that was released today.
During the interview on CNN, Cuomo repeatedly claimed that he was not thinking about running for office and that he would not think about it in the future.
Cuomo later praised Democratic presidential front runner Joe Biden, saying that “He relates to people all across the country that way and his sense of connectivity, his sense of capacity, you put all that together and he’s the real deal.”
WATCH:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he has no plans to ever run for President, has not considered it, and will never consider it. https://t.co/igWoHEPPNm pic.twitter.com/fv1bVgfSNm
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) March 31, 2020
PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT:
CHRIS: With all of this adulation you’re getting for doing your job, are you thinking about running for president? Tell the audience.
ANDREW: No. No.
CHRIS: No, you won’t answer?
ANDREW: No. I answered. The answer is no. Sometimes it’s one word. I said no.
CHRIS: No, you’re not thinking about it? Have you thought about it?
ANDREW: No.
CHRIS: Are you open to thinking about it?
ANDREW: No.
CHRIS: Might you think about it at some point?
ANDREW: No.
CHRIS: How can you know what you might think about at some point right now?
ANDREW: Because I know what I might think about and what I won’t think about. But you’re a great interviewer, by the way.
CHRIS: What do you think of him trying to play you against Biden? He’s trying to say, ‘Joe Biden is weak, look, even Cuomo is stronger than he is, and he’s not even running.’ What’s your response?
ANDREW: Again, that’s your interpretation of what you think the president was saying. I know Joe Biden many, many years. I worked with him when he was vice president. He has been a tremendous asset to the state of New York when he was the vice president with President Obama. So, I’ve worked with him on a professional level. I know him very well personally. I can’t say enough good things about Joe Biden, so I think he’s a great public servant. I think he’s been extraordinary on a number of levels. I think he’s a good man. I think he has a good heart. I think he has a good soul. I think he’s well meaning. He’s knowledgeable as heck. He has wisdom. And I think he’s a leader. At one point, Chris, it comes down to a simple concept. It’s about leadership, right? The experience, the wisdom, the capacity to do the job. Not just think about it. Not just talk about it. Not just tweet about it. Do the job. And Joe Biden is a guy who does the job for real Americans, right? We grew up middle-class new yorkers. We relate to him that way. He relates to people all across the country that way. And his sense of connectivity, his sense of capacity, you put all that together and he’s the real deal.