Gov. Cuomo Calls Trump’s Concerns Over New York ‘Well-Founded’: ‘There Are Issues in New York City’

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Wednesday President Donald Trump’s “concerns” about New York City were “well-founded,” though he rejected federal troops as a potential solution.

“I said to the president that I understand the issues in New York City,” Cuomo said in an afternoon interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “There are issues in New York City, as there are in many cities across the country. And if there was a need, the state would step in, which is the normal protocol, governmental protocol. And I was ready, willing and able to step in. But I think the federal involvement — there’s no justification for it, and it would be counter-productive. And the president said we would talk … before he did anything.

Cuomo was speaking in reference to a conversation he had with the president on Tuesday. Shootings in New York City have exploded in recent months, with New York Police Department data indicating a year-over-year increase of more than 77 percent as of mid-July. Trump has called for the state or city to activate the National Guard to crack down on the problem, writing on Twitter in June, “New York was lost to the looters, thugs, Radical Left, and all others forms of Lowlife & Scum.”

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump also referenced 33-year-old Shatavia Wells, a Brooklyn woman who was shot and killed after complaining about illegal fireworks. “I love New York,” Trump said. “Look at what’s going on over there. The woman who was shot because she said, ‘Could you please not light off firecrackers?’ And they turned around and shot her eight times and she died. That’s not our civilization, that’s not about us.”

Cuomo called his Tuesday confab with Trump “a very good conversation” and said he acknowledged Trump’s concerns.

“Look, the president’s concerns about New York City were well-founded,” Cuomo said. “There are issues in New York City. You put Covid on top of the unrest after the George Floyd murder, etcetera, there’s been an increase in crime. So I get the concerns, but I don’t believe federal troops are the answer.”

Watch above via MSNBC.