New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) criticized the Trump administration for being “in denial” about the coronavirus pandemic as cases surge in several cities during an interview on MSNBC Sunday.
Asked by MSNBC’s Chuck Todd about HHS Sec. Alex Azar suggesting earlier Sunday that the country’s contact-tracing problem in the South is on the states, Cuomo pushed back on the notion of a “second surge.”
“We’re worried about a second wave,” Cuomo said. “I think we’re still in the first wave, and this is a continuation of the first wave, and it was a failed effort to stop the first wave in the country. And as you pointed out, New York is in a totally different place.”
Cuomo then railed against the Trump administration for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the first briefing in nearly two months from the White House Coronavirus Task Force on Friday when Vice President Mike Pence tried to spin good news as several states hit daily records exceeding those first set in states like New York in March.
“If you listen to what (Azar) said, if you listen to what the President says, what they said at the White House briefing, they’re saying what they said three months ago,” Cuomo said. “They’re basically in denial about the problem. They don’t want to tell the American people the truth.”
On Thursday, Cuomo ripped into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and other Republican governors for “playing politics with the virus” in light of a spike in coronavirus cases in their states.
Watch Cuomo’s remarks below:
Cuomo says the Trump administration is “in denial” about the COVID-19 pandemic pic.twitter.com/vHnn4Pkore
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) June 28, 2020
