Metro

Cuomo still feeling heat for saying America ‘was never that great’

Democrats on Thursday distanced themselves from Gov. Cuomo’s eye-popping remark that America “was never that great.”

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson called the comment “inartful” and “clumsy.”

“We are a great country and a great city — we could even be greater,” Johnson said in an interview on WNYC radio.

Upstate Democratic Congressman Paul Tonko claimed ignorance.

“I haven’t heard about it,” Tonko told Albany’s WNYT TV.

Hours after Cuomo made the comment at a bill-signing Wednesday, upstate GOP Rep. Claudia Tenney called on Democratic challenger Anthony Brindisi to condemn it.

And he did.

“The governor is wrong, America is great,” Brindisi’s campaign responded.

Cuomo on Wednesday stunned an audience on the Lower East Side when he said, “We’re not going to make America great again.





“It was never that great. We have not reached greatness. We will reach greatness when every American is fully engaged,” the governor said.

Some audience members — who were at an event to celebrate a new law to crack down on sex trafficking –ooohed and groaned at Cuomo’s comment.

Dani Lever, Cuomo’s spokeswoman, later issued a clarifying statement saying the governor “believes America is great.”

Johnson emphasized that he supported the thrust of what Cuomo intended to say about Trump’s use of his campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.” He said Trump, who fanned the flames of the racist birther movement against former President Obama, wants to make “America white again.”

Johnson said Cuomo was focusing on the historic discrimination — and ongoing mistreatment — faced by immigrants, minorities and LGBT community.





“He may have been inartful in the way he said it… He really said it in a clumsy, clumsy way,” Johnson said.

But he added, “We shouldn’t let Trump off the hook.”

Republicans continued to pile on Cuomo.

John Flanagan, GOP majority leader of the New York State Senate, said Cuomo “should apologize today” for making the comment.

“Like many New Yorkers and thousands of veterans, I am disappointed and outraged that Andrew Cuomo said that America “was never that great.” I couldn’t disagree more,” Flanagan said in a statement Thursday.

The state Republican Party put out a cheeky statement saying it bought a $55 one-way bus ticket — to send Cuomo from Albany to Canada.





“Love it or leave it; that’s your choice, Mr. Cuomo,” said New York GOP spokeswoman Jessica Proud. “If you don’t think America was ever great-if you don’t appreciate the extraordinary gifts your own family got from her-then there’s a bus ticket to Canada waiting for you.”

GOP gubernatorial nominee Marc Molinaro showed up on the steps of City Hall to slam the governor.

“Yesterday was perhaps the most insulting thing that this governor – perhaps any governor in America – has offered to the people he serves,” Molinaro said. “This governor should be ashamed for the comments he’s made, he should apologize to New Yorkers and by extension apologize to the American people.”

Al Sharpton came to the governor’s defense.

“#nywontgoback – @NYGovCuomo we are not going back to the “good old days” – our people didn’t do well, we fight 4 our rights & fight racism,” he tweeted.





Share this: