‘America was never that great’: NY governor bashes his own country to get at Trump
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo drew President Trump’s anger, after he told a crowd at a women’s rights event that America “was never that great.”
“We’re not going to make America great again,” Cuomo told the audience on Wednesday, referencing President Trump’s campaign slogan. “It was never that great.”
The Democrat governor went on to say that America would only reach greatness once “discrimination and stereotyping against women, 51 percent of our population, is gone, and every woman’s full potential is realized and unleashed and every woman is making her full contribution.”
Cuomo’s America-bashing drew noise from the crowd, and caught the attention of Trump, who tweeted that Cuomo was “having a total meltdown.”
“WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, IT WAS NEVER THAT GREAT.” Can you believe this is the Governor of the Highest Taxed State in the U.S., Andrew Cuomo, having a total meltdown!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2018
Cuomo’s office ham-fistedly tried to walk back on the statement, and said that the governor’s comments targeted Trump. American history simply got caught in the crossfire.
“When the President speaks about making America great again - going back in time - he ignores the pain so many endured and that we suffered from slavery, discrimination, segregation, sexism and marginalized women's contributions,” spokeswoman Dani Lever said.
Marc Molinaro, Cuomo’s Republican opponent in November’s gubernatorial election, pounced on the governor. “America, with its imperfections has always been great,” he said in a statement. “Our people, our principles, and our promises have been a beacon of light to the world for 242 years and counting.”
Please Retweet: pic.twitter.com/Imm2Xylb3u
— Marc Molinaro (@marcmolinaro) August 15, 2018
“Mr. Cuomo owes the nation an apology,” he continued. “He should be ashamed of himself.”
Republican strategist Jessica Proud also bashed Cuomo, declaring “America is & always has been the greatest country on this earth,” in a tweet dripping with patriotism.
America is & always has been the greatest country on this earth. It’s shocking that a governor of a major state would make such an ignorant, insulting comment. https://t.co/as6uP27rCD
— Jessica Proud (@jessicaproud) August 15, 2018
As the right lined up to kick Cuomo on Twitter, the governor himself dug in, telling Trump that to ‘Make America Great Again’ would be to return to the days of “discrimination, segregation, sexism, isolationism, racism, or the KKK.”
.@RealDonaldTrump: What you say would be 'great again' would not be great at all...We will not go back to discrimination, segregation, sexism, isolationism, racism or the KKK. Like NY's motto says: Excelsior -- Ever Upward (not backward) https://t.co/nrcUrsYJCO
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) August 16, 2018
Cuomo’s anti-American sentiment is a world away from the words his father - late former governor Mario Cuomo - used at the Democratic party’s 1984 convention.
“To occupy the highest seat, in the greatest State, in the greatest nation, in the only world we would know, is an ineffably beautiful tribute to the democratic process,” Cuomo Sr. said at the time.
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