New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is only a few hours into his 2020 presidential campaign but has met with less than enthusiastic reactions.
The New York Democrat officially announced his candidacy on Thursday and was almost instantly met with brutal mockery from critics, the media, and even his own constituents. In the first interview as an official 2020 contender, de Blasio was quickly confronted by the harsh reality of unfavorable poll numbers.
(Video: Good Morning America)
While the progressive mayor spouted off during his interview on “Good Morning America” about how “working Americans deserve better and I know we can do it because I’ve done it here in the largest, toughest city in this country,” he announced that “we’re putting money back in the hands of working people,” adding that “there’s plenty of money in this world and there’s plenty of money in this country. It’s just in the wrong hands.”
The mayor dismissed chants by protesters gathered outside the ABC studio as “a little serenade” but host George Stephanopoulos pushed back with a reality check.
“There’s a poll about a month ago, Quinnipiac poll showed 76 percent of New York voters, 73 percent of New York Democrats say you shouldn’t run, so what should the rest of the country think when so many of your fellow New Yorkers are saying don’t run?” he asked.
“The poll that matters is the election,” De Blasio replied. “New Yorkers have twice said that they want me to lead them, and I think about polling in general: It’s not where you start, it’s where you end.”
He took on his favorite target, President Donald Trump, referring to him as “Con Don” as he claimed to be a champion of the working class. During a disastrous press conference on Tuesday inside of Trump Tower.
‘Worst mayor ever’: Protesters disrupt de Blasio’s Green New Deal even inside Trump Tower https://t.co/E0UReMUZUR
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) May 14, 2019
Trump, meanwhile, mocked the announcement by de Blasio, tweeting that the “Dems are getting another beauty” as the New York City mayor becomes the 23rd Democrat to enter the race.
The Dems are getting another beauty to join their group. Bill de Blasio of NYC, considered the worst mayor in the U.S., will supposedly be making an announcement for president today. He is a JOKE, but if you like high taxes & crime, he’s your man. NYC HATES HIM!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2019
The president joked “if you like high taxes & crime, he’s your man,” while declaring that even the city he represents hates him.
The president’s sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., both leveled blistering attacks on the Democrat in recent days with a scathing video on the state of New York City under de Blasio’s leadership tweeted by Trump Jr. just hours before the campaign announcement.
Rather than do a PR stunt “run” for President (we all know it’s going nowhere) maybe @NYCMayor should clean up his backyard first. This video from this morning should tell you all you need to know about his “leadership.” What a clown show!!! pic.twitter.com/E9kTUQXfTR
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 15, 2019
The New York Post left no doubt about its confidence in de Blasio’s White House bid as the Thursday morning cover of the newspaper was anything but subtle.
Today’s cover: Bill de Blasio officially launches 2020 presidential campaign pic.twitter.com/g973kWfGJ3
— New York Post (@nypost) May 16, 2019
De Blasio’s campaign couldn’t even seem to stir up some support at CNN where John Avlon mocked the mayor’s announcement amid a “palpable lack of excitement.”
“Look, you go from soaring background music like that when there’s a palpable lack of excitement in the streets of New York. Three-quarters of New Yorkers don’t want him to run,” CNN’s senior political analyst noted on “New Day” Thursday.
Host Alisyn Camerota noted that perhaps it is because New Yorkers prefer he stay in the city rather than head off to Washington, D.C.
“If he showed up to work, that may be the case,” Avlon, the former speechwriter for Mayor Rudy Giuliani, replied. “He seems utterly disinterested in the job of running America’s largest big city.”
Avlon suggested that de Blasio sees the rise in polls by South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg as “really frustrating and kind of insulting to [his] sense of entitlement.”
“That’s not a sufficient reason to get in. His aides have been trying to dissuade him from getting in,” Avlon said. “He sees himself as a progressive vanguard and that’s why he’s running. You heard a very, very left message out of the gate. That seems to be his lane.”
Avlon argued that the Democrat “seems to be running because it’s a YOLO campaign rather than because of people rallying around him.”
Former White House press secretary Joe Lockhart, also on the CNN panel, agreed with Avlon, describing de Blasio’s run as an “absurd ego trip.”
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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