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Given the way Fox News host Maria Bartiromo dismantled him, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio may think twice before appearing on her show again.
With Democrats pushing to bail out states amid resistance from President Trump and the Republican Party, who are hesitant to exploit the coronavirus pandemic to counter years of bad financial decisions, de Blasio appeared on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” to make his case for federal dollars.
His response to the claims of mismanagement was to cite the booming economy prior to the outbreak of the virus from Wuhan, China, saying his city was “moving forward,” adding that New York City’s economy “will not come back without a stimulus.”
WATCH:
(Source: Fox News)
“We’re all in this together,” de Blasio said. “So when New York City does well, when New York state does well, it helps the whole country, when California does well, one of the other great engines of the national economy, it helps everyone.”
“I don’t think we should be talking about red states and blue states,” he went on. “We should be talking about American states and American cities, how to put America back on its feet.”
Bartiromo responded by blowing de Blasio out of the water.
“You can’t blame the COVID-19 for everything, even before the coronavirus you had streams of people, individuals and business, fleeing the city because of the taxes,” she told Democratic mayor. “Fleeing the city because of the homelessness, and fleeing the city because of the inmates that you are letting out.”
She proceeded to point out that shootings in the city “spiked nearly 200% this week, compared to the same time a year ago. Crime is up, all the bad stats are up.”
“You know that,” Bartiromo added. “So I’m talking about your sanctuary city policies bottom line are you willing to sacrifice sanctuary city policies in order to be eligible for this money?
Telling Bartiromo he has a lot of respect for her, de Blasio said she “mischaracterized the reality.”
“Crime has been going down overall in the city now for seven years. We have times when things go up and the NYPD fights ’em back,” he said.
“In terms of the city, some people left and a lot of people came, including — we have built more homegrown millionaires in recent years and more millionaires have moved here than any who left,” de Blasio said. “So no, in fact, highest employment in our history before the pandemic. This city was booming.”
Bartiromo refused to let him take credit for what was effectively President Trump’s economy.
“But the whole country was experiencing record low unemployment because of the president’s tax cut and deregulation plan. That was the president’s policies, not New York policies,” she fired back.
The Fox News host continued to point out that “people say the problem with Mayor de Blasio is that he hates wealth. He drives rich people out of the city, with the amount of regulation and the tax increases, that you’re driving businesses and individuals out.”
Bartiromo then slammed him over his bail reform law — all de Blasio could do was sit there and shake his head.
“You had to let all of these inmates out and crime did spike,” she said. “And we see that continuing, so much so that you had to get them back and put them back in jail because as soon as you let them out they went and they committed more crimes.”
“Again, Maria, it’s the safest as its been since the 1950s,” he claimed.
“Shootings are up 200% just this week, Mr. Mayor!” Bartiromo shot back.
Going back to the topic of a federal stimulus, of which Trump has said sanctuary city policies would be a factor, Bartiromo asked de Blasio if he was willing to pull back on sanctuary city laws and follow the rule of the law so the Trump administration will work with him.
In effect, the mayor answered no, it just took a lot of words to get there.
“We follow the rule of the law in this city and we respect the fact there’s a half million people here who happen to be undocumented,” he said, adding that the city will “stick to our policies,” before making an amnesty pitch for illegal immigrants.
As if the beat down wasn’t bad enough, Bartiromo then brought up nursing homes.
“What do you want to say to those people who are horrified by the nursing home situation, where Gov. Cuomo allowed coronavirus patients to go into nursing homes, now we’re seeing a dreadful number of people having died at nursing homes?” she asked. “How is this happening on your watch?”
On this issue, de Blasio didn’t bother to push back.
“We all have to do better there’s no question,” he said. “We’re working with the state, with Gov. Cuomo, we’ve been supplying protective equipment to those nursing homes. We’ll do everything we can.”
More than 5,400 deaths have occurred at nursing homes and long-term care facilities in New York.
The segment ended with de Blasio declaring that Coney Island and other beaches will not be opening in New York City for Memorial Day.
“We’re not going to allow it,” he said. “For folks in local communities who walk on the beach, walk on the boardwalk they can still do that, but no swimming, no lifeguards, no congregating. NYPD will be out there, Parks Department will be out there. If people are smart about it and listen to the rules, great. If not, we actually might have to put up fencing to keep people off the beach. I don’t want to do it but if I have to I will.”
The segment was so brutal, social media users weighed in:
WOW @NYCMayor the most arrogant self-centered A-Hole
anywhereHave no idea how you didn't reach through the camera and slap him @MariaBartiromo
— AppSame (@AppSame) May 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/Herbert_L_Reed/status/1262042683176095744?s=20
@MariaBartiromo @NYCMayor Great interview holding Bill accountable. So happy he isn’t my mayor. Not opening the beaches for M day. Yikes KingBill he and @GavinNewsom must talk all the time #opencalifornianow
— Chris Howard (@chowardsr) May 17, 2020
Thank you @MariaBartiromo for stopping @BilldeBlasio's BS for trying to take credit for economy created by @realDonaldTrump administration.
— Anna Liisa Covell (@AnnaLiisaCovell) May 17, 2020
So appreciate @MariaBartiromo for allowing @NYCMayor to make a complete $SS of himself by answering the question of those who died in nursing homes “have to do better” better than killing thousands – the hypocrisy is alive and well
— who really cares (@BLand235) May 17, 2020
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Tom@bizpacreview.com
The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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