Throughout 2020, the legacy media coordinated with the Democratic party to present New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as the shining beacon of honesty and leadership required in the face of the Trump administration.
With Joe Biden now in the White House, this “mirror” to the federal government is no longer required, and Cuomo’s status as “America’s governor” is rapidly fading. Before the legacy media and the Democratic party erase their months of journalistic malfeasance, let’s take a look at some of the worst examples of Cuomo worship from the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chris Cillizza
As part of CNN’s absurd coverage of Cuomo during 2020, CNN’s Editor-at-large, Chris Cillizza, was prominent in the propaganda strategy.
“Everyone needs to see Andrew Cuomo’s inspiring words on the fight against coronavirus,” he wrote one day before Cuomo’s nursing home policy went into effect, saying, “That is leadership. That is empathy in action. That is what we need.”
Cillizza wrote other adoring pieces, including “Andrew Cuomo said he’ll never run for president. That’s a mistake,” an analysis piece titled “Andrew Cuomo may be the single most popular politician in America right now,” and listing him in the top spot of “10 leaders who mattered most on coronavirus response this week.”
Robert DeNiro
Before Cuomo was awarded an Emmy for his “masterful” use of television during the pandemic, DeNiro thanked the governor for his “leadership during these trying times.”
“We are New York Tough — smart, disciplined, united and loving,” the actor added.
Molly Jong-Fast
On March 22, 2020, the Daily Beast’s Molly Jong-Fast wrote an opinion piece for Vogue Magazine titled, “Why We Are Crushing on Andrew Cuomo Right Now.”
In addition to flirtatious adoration of the New York governor, Jong-Fast wrote, “As the pandemic rages, and my city is decimated and I watch the empty streets from my window, I’m comforted by Andrew Cuomo’s 11 a.m. press conferences, which both the local news and national networks are showing. It’s nice to know that someone is governing, that someone is keeping track of the hospital beds and the ventilators and the masks, and keeping the pressure on the federal government.”
Billy Crystal
Also during Cuomo’s Emmy award ceremony, Billy Crystal compared Cuomo to Trump, and praised Cuomo’s honesty.
“In the darkest days of the pandemic, your daily briefings live from New York gave us hope, gave us clarity, gave us the truth and gave us something that we were not getting from Washington: leadership. You are the epitome of New York tough.”
Ana Navarro
In his list of “bad Governor Cuomo takes,” Drew Holden listed CNN commentator Ana Navarro at 8th place, adding “An often overlooked member of the Cuomo News Network team, Ana gets bonus points because she often pretends to be a conservative.”
Holden listed various tweets from Navarro, including “Are you guys watching this [Andrew Cuomo] press conference? He’s doling out all sorts of life wisdom,” “These [Andrew Cuomo] press conferences are chicken soup for the soul. He’s setting an example of rising above partisanship and seeking cooperation when America needs it most. Such a contrast between Cuomo press conferences and the Trumpaganda we get from the Liar-in-Chief,” and “I know it’s quarantine and we’re all a little punchy. But I could watch the brotherly banter between the Cuomo’s, all day.”
8. @ananavarro
An often overlooked member of the Cuomo News Network team, Ana gets bonus points because she often pretends to be a conservative.
My favorite tweet, though, is from 2013. pic.twitter.com/AjYq8lc9CN
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) March 2, 2021
Jennifer Rubin
Rubin, the supposedly “conservative” writer at the Washington Post, had a wide array of adoring Cuomo viewpoints.
Sharing one of her columns titled “Andrew Cuomo gets it right: Govern by science, not your gut,” Rubin tweeted “Measure the data. Act on the data. Readjust on the data. Such a rational approach to governance is entirely beyond Trump’s capabilities, which is one reason he is uniquely unfit to govern during a health emergency.”
Measure the data. Act on the data. Readjust on the data. Such a rational approach to governance is entirely beyond Trump’s capabilities, which is one reason he is uniquely unfit to govern during a health emergency. https://t.co/gV8oG7wKnV
— Jennifer 'pro-reality' Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) May 5, 2020
In the piece, Rubin lauded Cuomo’s reliance on data, deeming it “as good a model of government decision-making as you will hear, and a complete repudiation of the unscientific (or anti-scientific), impulsive style of political theater now in vogue with many Republicans.”
Joy Reid
MSNBC’s Joy Reid also had some interesting takes on Cuomo’s leadership.
“On the other end of the Trump spectrum, this coronavirus crisis has shown some politicians at their best, principally [Andrew Cuomo],” Reid tweeted on March 20.
On the other end of the Trump spectrum, this coronavirus crisis has shown some politicians at their best, principally @NYGovCuomo. https://t.co/TUbfns5oSD
— Joy-Ann Pro-Democracy & Masks Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid) March 20, 2020
“Just gonna say it: [Andrew Cuomo] is really good at this. His leadership ability in this coronavirus crisis, and the usefulness of these press conferences are just putting Donald Trump to shame,” Reid wrote just days before Cuomo’s nursing home mandate.
Just gonna say it: @NYGovCuomo is really good at this. His leadership ability in this coronavirus crisis, and the usefulness of these press conferences are just putting Donald Trump to shame. #amjoy
— Joy-Ann Pro-Democracy & Masks Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid) March 21, 2020
Seth Abramson
Newsweek columnist and author, Seth Abramson, made Drew Holden’s “honorable mention” list with some unbelievably partisan — and deeply incorrect — statements.
“I’m watching an [Andrew Cuomo] coronavirus briefing from start to finish for the first time and I have to say that this is the first time in this whole crisis I’ve felt completely confident that someone in government has the chops to handle this pandemic. It is incredibly comforting,” Abramson wrote two days after Cuomo’s nursing home policy went into effect.
“Celebrate any and all good news. But distinguish between celebrating good news and deciding that it’s an indicator of…well, anything. I think Governor Cuomo is doing a good job of taking this approach…” Abramson wrote in early April.
“When Andrew Cuomo gives seemingly *bad* news that we see is accurate and honest, we𑁋most of us𑁋admire him for it,” Abramson tweeted in late April.
Honorable mention. @SethAbramson, a man who needs no introduction.
I will point out, though, that each of these tweets were within two weeks of Cuomo’s having signed a decree requiring nursing homes to accept coronavirus patients. pic.twitter.com/XJS3Eao0kA
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) March 2, 2021
Amy Siskind
The feminst activist also made Holden’s list, and was one of the many voices on Twitter using Gov. Cuomo as a weapon against Trump, praising Cuomo’s “honesty” as an alternative to the “lies” from the federal government.
Siskind celebrated Cuomo “owning” Trump during one of his press conferences, and accused Trump of inaction.
“Cuomo is doing some major owning of Trump. Goes through a timeline of Trump’s actions. Shows the virus was already in NYC before he knew about it – and it came from Europe, not China. And Trump did nothing for months.”
Cuomo is doing some major owning of Trump. Goes through a timeline of Trump's actions. Shows the virus was already in NYC before he knew about it – and it came from Europe, not China. And Trump did nothing for months. pic.twitter.com/xiOW1X3Pdr
— Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) April 24, 2020
“Cuomo giving a detailed, thoughtful plan to reopen NY, involving testing and contact tracing, and incorporating state government employees. Bloomberg will lead on tracing,” Siskind tweeted in late April, ironically adding that “This in contrast to Trump spending his morning sending crap tweets and telling states its their problem.”
Cuomo giving a detailed, thoughtful plan to reopen NY, involving testing and contact tracing, and incorporating state government employees. Bloomberg will lead on tracing.
This in contrast to Trump spending his morning sending crap tweets and telling states its their problem.
— Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) April 30, 2020
“Cuomo has the mic and he is going to keep telling the truth: the coronavirus in NY and the East Coast came via Europe. Since Trump and his regime were hiding facts and information for months, no one knew what was happening or how to stop it. Tiny hands covered in blood,” Siskind wrote in May.
Cuomo has the mic and he is going to keep telling the truth: the coronavirus in NY and the East Coast came via Europe. Since Trump and his regime were hiding facts and information for months, no one knew what was happening or how to stop it. Tiny hands covered in blood.
— Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) May 7, 2020
Rosie Perez
During Cuomo’s Emmy award ceremony, Perez told Cuomo that “You are the man,” and that “You did your thing – every single day you came on the airways and offered your strength and leadership.”
Chelsea Handler
On March 31, 2020, six days after New York’s disastrous nursing home mandate which forced COVID-19 positive patients into elderly care facilities, “comedian” Chelsea Handler wrote an opinion piece for Vogue Magazine titled, “Dear Andrew Cuomo, I Want to Be Your First Lady.”
“Governor Cuomo, do you know how dehydrated we’ve been? Do you know how thirsty we are to have a real leader, someone who can speak about policy, who can humanize statistics, who can string together a complex sentence that doesn’t contain a single lie—or just string together a complex sentence? Armed with facts, you are giving us the courage to face our fears,” Handler wrote.
“Thank you, Andrew Cuomo. Thank you for reminding us that there are men who can lead and be clear and tell the truth—even when the news is bad,” she added later.
Stuart Emmrich
Writing for Vogue Magazine in June, in a piece titled “After 111 Days, Andrew Cuomo Holds Last Briefing, Declaring, ‘We Did the Impossible,’” Emmrich described Cuomo as “Churchillian,” and wrote, “Cuomo noted that those losses were an undeniable tragedy. But he added that the death toll would have been much higher had New Yorkers not embraced wearing masks and social distancing while cooperating with the executive order that shut down most of the state’s businesses for more than three months.”
Jill Filipovic
On the day Cuomo’s nursing home mandate was announced, Filipovic wrote a piece titled, “Thank God for Andrew Cuomo.”
“In the midst of a pandemic, Americans need real leadership — and the New York governor has risen to the occasion. In the face of a feckless, reckless president spreading disinformation by the day, Cuomo has stepped up, using his platform to share accurate public health information and demand action,” Filipovic added.
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at @ighaworth.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.