Governor Andrew Cuomo made it clear he was not running for president at a news briefing in Albany on Saturday—then immediately dove into a riff about keeping politics out of the coronavirus crisis that one could certainly call “presidential.”
Cuomo has shot down the idea before about entering the 2020 fray, including a couple times in recent weeks to his brother, Chris Cuomo, as the CNN host peppered him with questions while recovering from COVID-19 in his basement.
But the chatter hasn’t died down, as Bernie Sanders recently exited the race Wednesday and Biden stands as the presumptive nominee. A reporter seated six feet apart from his colleagues, asked the governor about a favorable poll calling for him to replace Joe Biden as the Democratic challenger against President Donald Trump in November’s election.
After repeating back the question—“Democrats would like to see me replace Joe Biden on the ticket”—the New York governor called the idea “flattering” on one hand and “irrelevant” on the other.
Cuomo then went to express an understanding why some might raise an eyebrow concerning his hands-on and highly visible manner of handling the coronavirus pandemic. “Everyone has been very suspicious of government, and government officials, politicians—it’s always about their politics, they’re always trying to take the next step on the ladder … they are very deceptive creatures. I never felt that, I never believed it.”
“I have no political agenda, period,” he continued, adding, “I’m not running for president, I’m not running for vice-president, I’m not running anywhere. I’m not going to Washington, I’m staying right here.”
Despite his statements, the #CuomoForPresident hashtag continues to buzz on social media.
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