How States Can Fight Trump feat. NY Gov. Kathy Hochul

Summary

Summary of "What A Day" Episode: How States Can Fight Trump Featuring NY Gov. Kathy Hochul

Release Date: March 7, 2025
Host: Jane Coston
Guest: Governor Kathy Hochul, New York
Duration: Approximately 28 minutes

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Introduction

In this episode of What A Day, host Jane Coston delves into the intricate dynamics between state governance and the Trump administration's federal policies. Featuring a comprehensive interview with New York Governor Kathy Hochul, the discussion centers on the challenges and strategies states employ to counteract the actions of the Trump administration. The conversation provides insights into the real-world implications of federal decisions on state operations, economies, and public welfare.

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Trump's Tariff Policies and State Responses

Federal Tariffs Impacting States

Governor Hochul begins by addressing the tumultuous tariff policies implemented by President Trump, particularly against Mexico and Canada. These tariffs, intended as both economic and political tools, have placed significant strain on state economies.

Jane Coston [00:29]: "President Trump continues to toy with tariffs... There are 23 states with Democratic governors tasked with managing operations under these challenging federal policies."

Donald Trump [01:12]: "There'll always be a little short term interruption... our farmers are going to be very happy."

Hochul elaborates on the unpredictability of the Trump administration's approach to tariffs, which oscillates between imposing and exempting them without clear rationale.

Kathy Hochul [03:52]: "They are telling me as a state that I can't control my own damn traffic... We are under attack."

Economic Consequences for New York

The governor highlights the detrimental effects of these tariffs on New York's economy, particularly on sectors like manufacturing and energy.

Kathy Hochul [09:19]: "A French Canadian company that manufactures our subway cars... energy costs are going to go up."

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State vs. Federal Authority: The Battle Over Congestion Pricing

Trump's Intervention in Local Policies

One significant area of contention is the Trump administration's efforts to block congestion pricing in Manhattan, a policy aimed at reducing traffic and funding public transit improvements.

Jane Coston [03:31]: "Efforts to block congestion pricing... even when it's like, this isn't your job."

Kathy Hochul [03:52]: "Something like congestion pricing... We have to fight back when policies or values are challenged."

Governor Hochul's Strategy

Hochul discusses her strategic approach to combating federal interference, emphasizing the importance of picking battles and maintaining a consistent message to preserve voter trust.

Kathy Hochul [05:35]: "We have to have a consistent message and pick our fights... I'm working on affordability."

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Navigating Media and Public Perception

Countering Trump's Media Tactics

Governor Hochul addresses the Trump administration's adept use of media and social platforms to shape public narrative, making it challenging for Democrats to present counterarguments effectively.

Jane Coston [07:16]: "Trump administration is very skillful at using the media... fact checking is a problem."

Kathy Hochul [07:16]: "You just have to take the gloves off and jump in the arena."

Engaging with the Public

Hochul emphasizes the need for Democrats to connect personally with voters, using relatable stories and tangible policies to demonstrate effective governance.

Kathy Hochul [09:00]: "I'm trying to find ways to put money from the state back in their pocket... We need Washington, though."

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Educational and Agricultural Challenges

Impact on Education and Farming

The episode touches upon the Trump administration's attempts to dismantle the Education Department and impose tariffs that adversely affect New York farmers, leading to increased costs and economic strain.

Kathy Hochul [05:35]: "Tariffs... my farmers cannot believe what is happening to them."

Jane Coston [09:19]: "Trump believes that there will be no consequences... What does it mean for a state like New York?"

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Strategies for Democratic Governors

Proving Effective Governance

Governor Hochul advocates for Democratic leaders to showcase their competence by achieving tangible successes at the state level, thereby earning public trust and support.

Kathy Hochul [11:57]: "Prove that Democrats know how to govern at every level of government... focus on elections as well."

Connecting with Voters

She underscores the importance of authentic communication, urging Democrats to present themselves as relatable and grounded leaders who genuinely understand and address constituents' concerns.

Kathy Hochul [12:25]: "Be real, be human and don't be so detached from everybody. I really do. I'm not giving up on the Democrats and I'm not giving up on the people of this country."

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Conclusion and Key Takeaways

The episode concludes with Governor Hochul reaffirming her commitment to combating federal policies that undermine state interests and emphasizing the necessity for consistent Democratic strategies to safeguard and advance state and public welfare.

Kathy Hochul [12:25]: "I'm not giving up on the Democrats and I'm not giving up on the people of this country. I will always have faith in them."

Jane Coston wraps up the discussion by highlighting the ongoing political battles and encouraging listeners to stay informed and engaged.

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Final Thoughts

This episode of What A Day offers a poignant exploration of the friction between state and federal governance under President Trump’s administration. Through Governor Hochul's insights, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the complexities and resilience required for states to navigate and resist federal policies that threaten their autonomy and the well-being of their residents.

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Notable Quotes:

• John Coston [00:29]: "President Trump continues to toy with tariffs... managing operations under these challenging federal policies."

• Kathy Hochul [03:52]: "We cannot be sucked into this moment by moment reaction... we have to pick our fights."

• Kathy Hochul [07:16]: "We have to use our personal stories, connect with people and then have the policies that'll show the contrast between what we're doing in our states versus the catastrophic damage that they're wreaking on the American people out of Washington."

• Kathy Hochul [12:25]: "Be real, be human and don't be so detached from everybody."

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the critical discussions and viewpoints presented in the episode, offering readers a clear understanding of the strategies and sentiments shaping state leadership in opposition to federal policies.

Transcript

[Jane Coston]

It's Friday, March 7th. I'm Jane Coston and this is what a day. The show that does not really know what to say about this comment from President Donald Trump in reference to two American astronauts stuck in space for nearly nine months.

[Donald Trump]

Maybe they'll love each other, I don't know. But they've been left up there. Think of it. And I see the woman with the wild hair, good solid head of hair she's got. There's no kidding. There's no games with her here.

[Jane Coston]

I am so sorry. Record breaking astronaut and icon Sunny Williams. On today's show, President Trump continues to toy with tariffs and Governor Gavin Newsom launches his new podcast and some unpopular opinions. But let's start with the states. You know, where you might live or maybe not if you're an international listener, in which case, Van, thanks for listening. And also, we're working on it. Anyway, there are 23 states with Democratic governors. And under the Trump administration, they have been tasked with what feels like an almost impossible challenge. Manage the day to day operations of a state that might contain millions of people, while recognizing that currently the federal government is run by this.

[Donald Trump]

There'll always be a little short term interruption. I don't think it's going to be big, but the countries and companies that have been ripping us aren't particularly happy with what I'm doing. But the United States will be very happy and you know, our farmers are going to be very happy. And again, there'll be disruption.

[Jane Coston]

That's President Trump discussing tariffs against Mexico and Canada, tariffs which he simultaneously believes are wonderful and perfect and also a terrible thing he can use as a weapon to get Mexico and Canada to do things. On Thursday, he issued exemptions to tariffs he announced two days before. We'll get into that later in the show. And this administration thinks this whole thing is fun. As one senior official told Politico anonymously on Wednesday, quote, it's the greatest show on earth. We'll put tariffs on tonight, but tomorrow we'll tell you, we may negotiate and take them off. But stay tuned because you never know what tomorrow's gonna bring. Thanks. I hate it. This whipsaw back and forth stemming from Donald Trump and the Trump administration isn't just on tariffs. It's on everything. It's firing thousands of federal employees and then trying to hire some of them back. It's making policy through daily press conferences, not through Congress. Remember Congress? And it's enough to make any governor pretty exhausted. So to find out how the governor of one of our most populous states and one Trump has a very keen interest in is handling our batshit era. I spoke with New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Governor Hochul, welcome to what a day.

[Kathy Hochul]

Thank you. Great to be here today.

[Jane Coston]

So we're just a little more than a month into Trump's second term, after Trump won in November. You said you were ready to work with the president where possible. How have your feelings changed since inauguration?

[Kathy Hochul]

Well, I said I'd work together where possible. Meaning if you want to help us with infrastructure projects, let's do Penn Station, let's build more subways, let's invest in infrastructure projects that are all over the state. I'll work you on that. But I also said very clearly, and I also told the president this personally, but if you challenge any of our policies or our values in state of New York, I'm going to have to stand up and fight you. So we're in that place. I hope the honeymoon would go a little bit longer. We're just working together, and clearly it didn't. So this is where we are. And I have a responsibility as the leader of this state to fight back when I feel we're under attack. And we are under attack.

[Jane Coston]

Yeah. And I think one of the examples I keep thinking about is his efforts to block congestion pricing in Manhattan during peak traffic hours. You've since spoken with Trump about it. But it speaks to a bigger issue to me with Trump, which is that he will insert himself anywhere where he sees a political opportunity, even when it's like, this isn't your job. So how do you work with an administration like that?

[Kathy Hochul]

As a governor, I'm trying, but here's where we are. Something like congestion pricing. I think about the fact that, you know, the Trump administration believes it should be up to the states to determine whether women can control their own bodies. Right. When it comes to reproductive rights. But they're telling me as a state that I can't control my own damn traffic. So there are so wildly inconsistent. I feel like this is a whiplash administration. You know, call the medics. We're all getting whiplash because we're going back and forth. There's tariffs on, there's tariffs on, their firing's on, their firing's off. It's almost incomprehensible. But I think that's part of the strategy. So we cannot be sucked into this moment by moment reaction, because, number one, I think we'll lose our credibility with the voters, that we're just reacting all the time. We have to have a consistent message and pick our fights this is important. So my fights have been defined. You're coming after congestion pricing. You've got to fight. You come in after Medicaid. I'll take that for that. And tariffs. My God, I just had a roundtable with farmers from all over New York, and they cannot believe what is happening to them. And now Education Department, it's unrelenting. So I'm not gonna hit on every single thing, but, my God, there's a lot to deal with it.

[Jane Coston]

Right? And Trump campaigned on some of the very issues you're talking about. Tariffs, ending the Education Department, and people voted for that. Even if, I don't know if they really thought it would actually happen, I still think people think that Trump is always in negotiation mode. But does there come a point where you say the gloves are off? There is no real upside to working with this administration. Where do you draw the line?

[Kathy Hochul]

I will still hold out hope. There's some areas there can be common ground. Again, infrastructure is really important to us. I need to protect the Chips and Science act because I have a whole semiconductor manufacturing industry in New York and innovation that I want to continue to harness and. And create the thousands of jobs that are coming. So those are areas where I have to be persuasive and say, can we just leave this alone? Because these are your voters. I mean, you kill offshore wind. Guess what? That's thousands of jobs on Long Island. And they voted for you. These farmers were your voters. So it's my job to remind everybody, like, maybe you didn't think it'd be this bad, but it really is. And how we deal with this, Go to your Republican members of Congress's offices, flood the zone yourself, bring parents and kids and teachers on something like the education cuts. This is how we start really letting people know how disappointed we are, those who may have voted for them, but also we saw this coming, and I have to let the consequences be felt or else people won't be changing their behavior in 26 and again in 28.

[Jane Coston]

I think we've been talking about that flooding the zone concept a little bit. And Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted a video on Twitter last week that featured five men bashing congestion pricing. And I know now lots of New Yorkers, including a lot of New Yorkers I know, support congestion pricing. My question for you is the Trump administration is very skillful at using the media and social media to project the narrative they want on issues like this. And it feels like Democrats don't really have a way to meaningfully counter it. Besides, like, fact checking is That a problem that you see? And what do you think Democrats can do better to counter the way the administration floods the information space?

[Kathy Hochul]

No, you just have to take the gloves off and jump in the arena. If you look at a press conference we did, as soon as Donald Trump literally tweeted that I've just killed congestion pricing. Long live the king. I went into the subway, put on my subway jacket and I said, we have not labored under a king in this country in 250 years and we're not about to start. And I referenced something that you may or may not be familiar with, the old Rambo movies. You talk about first blood. I wasn't fighting until you drew first blood. And now I have to give a response back. And it's going to be tough. We're not going to sit on the sidelines. We cannot, we must engage in this fight. And the voters need to see that we're standing up issue by issue where it affects us directly. And you talk about things like affordability. My God. He promised that the prices would go down on Inauguration Day. I have an apartment in New York City. I go to the store. Toothpaste is $12 for a little tube. The eggs are now $11 in New York City. They didn't go down, they went up 20% since Inauguration Day. So I'm working on affordability. I have found a path to put up to $5,000 back in New Yorker's pockets in my budget. Thousand dollar tax credit for little kids, a middle class tax cut. Making sure we can give an inflation rebate because we collected a lot of money because of in sales tax. I'm giving it back to New Yorkers. This is the message that Democrats have to use all across this country. We have to use our personal stories, connect with people and then have the policies that'll show the contrast between what we're doing in our states versus the catastrophic damage that they're wreaking on the American people out of Washington.

[Jane Coston]

Yeah. And it's been interesting because I think Trump believes that there will be no consequences. And you see this on tariffs, where he thinks going back and forth and back and forth and back and forth is just fun entertainment. But what does it mean for a state like New York for New York farmers to have the White House going back and forth on huge trade issues like this?

[Kathy Hochul]

It's maddening. Not just for the farmers. I did a roundtable in Buffalo, my hometown, right on the border with Ontario. And there's so much commerce that crosses our borders in the north country. Of New York. There's a French Canadian company that manufactures our subway cars. They're going to be using steel and aluminum. The energy cost, the costs of that are going to go up. And also I got a letter from the Ontario premier, said, sorry, but our energy costs are going to go up 25%. We get electricity from Canada. Our costs just went up 25% or they say they may end it altogether. So the scale of the pain we're going to feel because of these policies from the Trump administration are hopefully going to get people to start changing how they behave, how they act, who they vote for. But again, this ping ponging back and forth and the whiplash we're getting, it is damaging to our economy. I don't know who benefits from this. I still don't know.

[Jane Coston]

I also don't know, but you mentioned a couple of times that people need to understand the consequences of what they voted for. But also like for many people, especially people who didn't vote for this, this is their livelihoods. This could be the difference for getting food on the table for some people. So what can the state of New York do to provide some sort of stability?

[Kathy Hochul]

No, that's exactly what I'm doing. That's why I invested $7 billion in childcare and these additional tax credit for families with little kids. I'm trying to find ways to put money from the state back in their pocket so they can pay that utility bill without stressing out or their student loan payment or their rent or mortgage payment. I'm laser focused on this and I didn't need an election in November to tell me that people are feeling a lot of pain. But it is heartbreaking to see that despite what we're doing, so much is gonna be counteracted by the Trump administration. That's the message we have to get out loud and clear. Don't blame the Democratic governors. We're in the fight. We need Washington, though. I get $96 billion from the federal government every year through many, many programs. I cannot make that up. I cannot compensate for that loss. We need a federal government that stops hurting its people, starts realizing you have a responsibility to help people.

[Jane Coston]

I want to ask a little bit about what Democrats can do about it, because it feels like Democrats current reliance on the federal court system to try and limit Trump's agenda is risky. I know there aren't a ton of options, but the fact of the matter is that the big cases will make their way to a Supreme Court with a conservative supermajority that seems ready to grant Trump extraordinary power. So how else can Democrats at the state level push back on Trump outside of the courts?

[Kathy Hochul]

Prove that Democrats know how to govern at every level of government. Have people start to rely on us, look to us for leadership and we can show an incredible contrast. Yes, we'll use the courts. We're using the courts already. That is one option, but I don't know if I can always count on that. Again, focus on elections as well to convince people that we're the ones that help you.

[Jane Coston]

But I think we've seen a bunch of polls recently that people have a dim view of Democratic governance right now. They're not feeling great about the Democratic Party. How do you counter that?

[Kathy Hochul]

With success, with accomplishments and better messaging. No doubt about it. Stop explaining everything. Stop talking down to people. When I come from Buffalo, blue collar town, my parents used to live in a trailer park, I can communicate with people. I'm happiest in a diner any day of the week. We have to get off this pedestal that we think we're better than everybody else and start connecting and looking human. Throw on a denim jacket and walk around with a pair of sneakers. Be real, be human and don't be so detached from everybody. I think we can make that connection. I really do. I'm not giving up on the Democrats and I'm not giving up on the people of this country. I will always have faith in them.

[Jane Coston]

Governor Hochul, thank you so much for joining me.

[Kathy Hochul]

Thank you.

[Jane Coston]

That was my conversation with New York Governor Kathy Hochul. We'll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe. Leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts. Watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. Today's episode is sponsored by Acorns. Acorns is a financial wellness app that helps you take control of your money with simple tools that make it easy to start saving and investing for your future. You don't need to be an expert. Acorns will recommend a diversified portfolio that matches you and your money goals. And you don't need to be rich. Acorns lets you get started with the spare money you've got right now, even if all you've got is spare change. Basically, Acorns does the hard part so you can give your money a chance to grow. Ready to take control of your money? Sign up now and join the over 14 million all time customers who have already saved and invested over $25 billion with Acorns. Head to acorns.com wad or download the Acorns app to get started. Paid non client endorsement compensation provides incentive to positively promote Acorns tier one compensation provided investing involves risk. Acorns Advisor LLC, an SEC registered investment advisor. View important [e-mail] wad netcredit is here to say yes to a personal loan.

[Kathy Hochul]

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[Jane Coston]

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[Kathy Hochul]

To review and approval. Learn more at netcredit.com partners NetCredit credit to the People My new super Smart Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra keeps me a step ahead thanks to now brief with Galaxy AI. It shows me my daily appointments at a glance so I can focus on my passion posing my pups to recreate French paintings. Bruno, you look like a princess. Galaxy S25 Ultra, the AI companion that streamlines your day so you can do you get [e-mail] displays daily select info.

[Jane Coston]

From select apps may require Internet connection.

[Kathy Hochul]

Galaxy AI features by Samsung free through 2025 and require Samsung account login.

[Jane Coston]

Here's what else we're following today.

[Kathy Hochul]

Head of Lines.

[Donald Trump]

We want them to keep the good people and so we're going to be watching them and Elon and the group are going to be watching them. And if they can cut, it's better. And if they don't cut, then Elon will do the cutting.

[Jane Coston]

President Trump is putting Elon Musk in his place. Well, maybe. Sort of. Politico reported that Trump held a Cabinet meeting Thursday to tell members of his administration Musk can make recommendations to the departments but not issue unilateral decisions on staffing and policy. That's according to two administration officials. Musk was reportedly in the room when Trump clarified the Department of Government Efficiency leader non leader's role. Trump followed it up by posting on Truth Social I have instructed the secretaries and leadership to work with Doge on cost cutting measures and staffing. As the secretaries learn about and understand the people working for the various departments, they can be very precise as to who will remain and who will go. Musk didn't seem opposed. He posted on Twitter, very productive meeting. Remember, according to the Department of Justice, he doesn't even run Doge. Trump is walking back his beautiful 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada again. You know, the tariffs that were supposed to go into effect last month but were delayed until this past Tuesday when they actually did go into effect for two whole days. The president signed an executive order Thursday to exempt goods that fall under the usmca, the big free trade agreement Trump negotiated with Mexico and Canada during his first term. That accounts for about half of all Mexican imports and around 40% of Canadian imports. The order follows the White House's decision Wednesday to also exempt auto imports from Mexico and Canada from tariffs. However, Trump has kept in place an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods that also went into effect Tuesday. This chaotic week for US Trade policy has driven major swings in the stock markets. Trump claimed that the drop in stock prices has nothing to do with his backpedaling. Even though the stock market seems to be the one thing Trump actually cares about, he told reporters in the Oval Office that people are just jealous of.

[Donald Trump]

The U.S. i think it's globalists that see how rich our country's going to be and they don't like it. You know, big market out there, right?

[Jane Coston]

It couldn't possibly be that nearly every economist told you tariffs are a bad idea. Definitely not that. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Thursday that the new tariff pause will last until April 2, the same day Trump plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on countries that tax imported goods from the U.S. trump says he may end immigration protections for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who fled the war in their home country because it isn't bad enough that Trump has put a pause on all military aid to Ukraine. It's not enough that Trump ridiculed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he came to the White House and pleaded for support amid Russia's violent three year long invasion of his country. No, Trump has to punish people who fled the war torn country too. Trump told reporters he's weighing his options during an Oval Office gaggle Thursday.

[Donald Trump]

Well, we're not looking to hurt anybody. We're certainly not looking to hurt them and I'm looking at that. And there were some people that think that's appropriate and some people don't and I'll be making a decision pretty soon.

[Jane Coston]

There are around a quarter million Ukrainians living in the US with what's called Temporary Protected Status. Tps. Revoking that status would put some of them at risk for deportation. Trump didn't seem to know what TPS was, though, when reporters asked him about it.

[Donald Trump]

What are you saying? Yeah, the Ukrainians that are here in the US they're under a TPS on gps. Gps? Oh, I thought you said gps. Gps. Yeah.

[Jane Coston]

Why would we be talking about gps? Trump's comments undermined his own administration's claims earlier in the day. Reuters was the first to break the story Thursday, citing a senior White House official and three other anonymous sources. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt had earlier tweeted that senior officials who spoke to Reuters, quote, have no idea what they're talking about. California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom used a debut episode of his podcast, this is Gavin Newsom speak with right wing influencer Charlie Kirk. An interesting use of time. Kirk is a conservative political activist and founder of Turning Point usa, a pro Trump organization active on college campuses. He's been a vocal opponent of transgender athletes in women's sports, and Newsom said he feels similarly.

[Kathy Hochul]

Would you say no men in female sports?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I think it's an issue of fairness.

[Kathy Hochul]

I completely agree with you on that.

[Jane Coston]

Choice words coming from someone who has backed LGBTQ causes for decades. It was also a major policy break from his fellow Democrats and a noteworthy one because Newsom is widely rumored to be eyeing a White house run in 2028. In the interview with Kirk, Newsom tried to temper his criticisms.

[Donald Trump]

There's also a humility and a grace that these poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression.

[Kathy Hochul]

And the way that people talk down.

[Donald Trump]

To vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with.

[Jane Coston]

Speaking of talking down to vulnerable communities. Newsom's remarks were met with backlash from some LGBTQ advocates. California Assemblyman Chris Ward and State Senator Caroline Menjevar, who lead the state's LGBTQ caucus, said, quote, we woke up profoundly sickened and frustrated by these remarks. It's the latest slate in an otherwise very difficult month for trans Americans. Since taking office, President Trump has issued directives targeting trans people who serve in the military, play school sports, and, among other things, are just trying to live their lives. And that's the news. One more thing. Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is running to be mayor of New York City. On Saturday, he made the announcement in a 17 minute video, which is about 16 minutes too long for an election announcement video.

[Donald Trump]

I believe I can help, and that is why I announced my candidacy today for mayor of New York City. I am a lifelong New Yorker and I love New York.

[Jane Coston]

He's running against a host of Democrats, including the current mayor of New York City, Eric Adams. But due to a host of tiny little controversies, you might remember something about the DOJ dropping charges to maybe pressure him on immigration. Eric Adams currently has the popularity of stomach flu and a majority of New Yorkers want him to resign. In February, Governor Kathy Hochul put limits on his power as mayor. We spoke to her earlier in the show. And right now, Cuomo is leading the pack. According to a Quinnipiac poll released on Wednesday, 31% of voters support his candidacy, the most of any of the candidates listed. But for the life of me, I cannot understand why. Okay, like, I do get it. Andrew Cuomo is a known quantity in New York and nationally. Remember those daily Covid press conferences?

[Donald Trump]

I like to start with just the facts. Just give me the facts, and that's what we do in this presentation. Here are the facts. No opinion.

[Jane Coston]

He was governor of New York for a decade. His dad was governor of New York for more than a decade. And in comparison with Eric Adams, Cuomo might seem almost normal. But let's talk about why Andrew Cuomo should absolutely not be the next mayor of New York City. First, let's remember why. He stopped being governor. Because he was credibly accused of sexual harassment in a massive investigation launched by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

[Kathy Hochul]

The damning report, 165 pages long, including the testimony of 179 witnesses, documenting a pattern of behavior from 2013 until at least 2020.

[Jane Coston]

According to the report, the allegations of sexual harassment against at least 11 women included unwanted touching, groping, and sexual comments. Cuomo even retaliated against one of the women he harassed, feeding damaging information about her to reporters. Cuomo maintained his innocence, but most Democrats, including President Joe Biden, said it was time for him to go.

[Donald Trump]

I stand by the statement.

[Kathy Hochul]

Are you now calling on him to resign?

[Donald Trump]

Yes.

[Kathy Hochul]

And if he doesn't resign, do you believe he should be impeached and removed from office?

[Donald Trump]

Let's take one thing at a time here. I think he should resign.

[Jane Coston]

Cuomo resigned on August 23, 2021. But the story doesn't end there. Because of a state law, the taxpayers of the state of New York have been on the hook for the cost of his efforts to defend himself to the tune of $28 million. And those efforts have been, as a U.S. district Court judge described them, scorched earth. One accuser dropped her federal lawsuit against Cuomo. Her lawyer said he, quote, used every opportunity to harass our client with an astonishing number of invasive discovery requests and outrageous statements in pleadings to embarrass and humiliate her. Those requests even included gynecological records. But if you're thinking, okay, so Andrew Cuomo was credibly accused of sexual harassment in a massive investigation that led to his resignation. But that should be it, right? Oh, no. Definitely not. A second investigation by Attorney General James found that Cuomo undercounted The number of COVID19 deaths in 2020 in New York nursing homes and tried to keep that information from state lawmakers for fear that President Trump would use it as a political cudgel. His team even rewrote reports to hide the death toll. Cuomo had become known nationally for those daily press conferences during the peak of COVID but he downplayed nursing home deaths in those press conferences throughout 2020 and 2021. So here's where we are. We have a candidate for New York City mayor who was forced out of office because of allegations of repeated acts of sexual harassment. That same candidate also allegedly tried to hide deaths of the elderly and disabled during a pandemic. One of his accusers, Lindsey Boylan, told the Associated Press on Wednesday that her fight now was to keep him from ever becoming mayor. I wake up every day hoping that he'll find some ethics and some moral compass and decide that this is not the right thing for him to do. But I have very little hope of that. And so what I do every day after I wake up in this nightmare is I think, how am I going to spend every moment of this day preventing this monster from becoming the mayor of my city, the city that my daughter lives in? She shouldn't have to do this. There is no rule in New York State law that the weirdest and worst New Yorker gets to be mayor. New York, you are a very cool place. You contain millions of people who have not been credibly accused of sexual harassment or covering up the deaths of some of the most vulnerable. You absolutely do not have to elect Andrew Cuomo mayor. Before we go, Trump's address to Congress was the longest in history, because of course it was. But beneath the 100 minute spectacle was the same dangerous rhetoric on immigration, crime and transgender rights. So now what? On the latest episode of Assembly Required, Stacey Abrams is joined by Jen Psaki, host of MSNBC's Inside with Jen Psaki and the Blueprint to break it all down, strategize how Democrats and all of us can push back and prepare for the chaos ahead. Listen to Assembly Required now. New episodes drop every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, recognize that it is okay to have zero opinions about Meghan Markle and tell your friends to listen. And if you are into reading and not just about how really it's fine. You can just feel totally neutral about Meghan Markle or the Oscars or a movie or a show or a song. It's okay. You're allowed to be whelmed like me. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and [e-mail] subscribe I'm Jane Costen and you are permitted to not care about things to two Water Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producers are Raven Yamamoto and Emily Foer. Our producer is Michelle Aloy. We had production help today from Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra, Greg Walters and Julia Claire. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison and our executive producer is Adrienne Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America. East.

[Kathy Hochul]

My new super Smart Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra keeps me a step ahead thanks to now brief with Galaxy AI. It shows me my daily appointments at a glance so I can focus on my passion posing my pups to recreate French paintings. Bruno, you look like a princess. Galaxy S25 Ultra, the AI companion that streamlines your day so you can do you get yours at Samsung. Com displays daily select info from select.

[Jane Coston]

Apps may require Internet connection.

[Kathy Hochul]

Galaxy AI features by Samsung free through.

[Jane Coston]

2025 and require Samsung account login.