MSNBC’s Eugene Daniels to Cuomo: What Did You Mean by ‘Diversity Can Also Be a Weakness’?

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
DANIELS: “Governor, I, I want to I want to make sure and give you a chance to to correct the record. If you didn’t mean to say, but it sounds like you said, diversity can also be a weakness. What did you mean by that?”

Cuomo: “Diversity can be a weakness if you have antipathy among groups. Jonathan. If you have racism or anti-Semitism, etc. So then you’d have friction, right? Which we have had in New York. And so you have to work very hard to keep it as a positive and to make sure that it’s not a negative. And you have zero tolerance for any racism, any anti-Semitism, etc.”

DANIELS: “Andrew. Governor Cuomo, really quickly, I’m going to get in trouble with my producers because we need to let you go. But, you know, Democratic voters have been kind of clear since the 2024 election that they want fresh blood. They want non-establishment figures. You know, you are someone who’s a former governor, long family history in the state of New York. I think, you know, it would be honest to say that you’re a member of the establishment. Why do you believe that you would be the exception to the rule when we’re hearing from Democratic voters they want anti-establishment candidates?”

Cuomo: “Yeah, I get the general rule, Jonathan. We want fresh blood. We want a fresh face. I get it. New York City, the mayor is an important job, and people want to be safe. People want affordable housing. People want to see the economy working. And in New York City, you can have a major crisis at any given time. A couple of days ago was the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy. Big storm. 50 people died. I don’t think they want a mayor who has no experience or ability to do the job. And literally, this would be his first real job. Besides being a two term assemblyman never managed anyone, and I think that is giving New Yorkers real pause. You know, in this city, it’s it can be a scary city, as you know, Jonathan, and you want someone in that seat who can handle whatever comes up. Experience is not a bad thing. Jonathan.”

CAPEHART: “Right. No, no, that is correct. This is Jonathan. Now, it was Eugene who was asking you asking you those questions. Governor Andrew Cuomo of of new—“