New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared Friday that President Trump is “smart” and has his “finger on the pulse” of this nation, arguing that whoever the Democratic Party chooses for its 2020 nominee needs to be able to go toe-to-toe with him and effectively communicate his or her vision.

Speaking on ABC’s “The View,” Mr. De Blasio defended himself for challenging former Vice President Joe Biden on the Obama administration’s immigration policies during the last Democratic primary debate. The mayor said Mr. Biden, the front-runner in the race, has to be able to answer tough questions about his record if he’s going to stand a chance against the president.

“Do you think these questions aren’t going to come up later?” the mayor explained to the female co-hosts. “I was challenging Biden because I wanted to hear him say, here’s what I did, here’s what I stand for, because whoever is going to be the Democratic nominee has to be able to do it. Donald Trump is smart.

“I don’t agree with a thing he says but he is smart. He’s tough,” he continued.

“You think he’s smart?” co-host Sunny Hostin interjected.

“Strategically, yes,” Mr. De Blasio responded, adding that the president is “crazy like a fox.”

“He has his finger on the pulse,” the mayor said.

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