After repeatedly saying the party should be more focused on issues of importance to working-class voters, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday the president’s recent statement that he would not necessarily report foreign entities who provide him with damaging information on his opponents is grounds for impeachment. | Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo De Blasio changes position on impeaching Trump

Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democratic presidential candidate, has changed his stance on impeaching President Donald Trump.

After repeatedly saying the party should be more focused on issues of importance to working-class voters, de Blasio said Friday the president’s recent statement that he would not necessarily report foreign entities who provide him with damaging information on his opponents is grounds for impeachment.


He did not take this position when some others in his party did following special counsel Robert Mueller’s recent report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. Several of de Blasio's fellow candidates also joined the call for impeachment proceedings after Trump's comments this week.

“I’ve said for a long time that I’m concerned that, first of all, Democrats in particular need to start talking about the issues and not just impeachment. They need to focus on the issues of working Americans. I haven’t seen enough of that,” de Blasio said Friday on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe."

“But what happened the other day changed my mind because that was treason.That was treason. What he said was openly treasonous,” he added. “So I heard that and I said 'That’s the last straw.' They should begin impeachment proceedings.”