New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday President Trump’s response to Mr. de Blasio’s entering the presidential race on Thursday shows he’s already under the president’s skin.
“You saw in that video — I’m already under his skin … and you need a candidate to take him on who knows his tricks, who knows how to deal with him,” Mr. de Blasio said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
In a video that Mr. Trump posted online Thursday, he called Mr. de Blasio “the worst mayor in the United States.”
“If you like high taxes and you like crime, you can vote for him,” Mr. Trump said in the video, which appeared to be shot while he was onboard Air Force One. “But most people aren’t into that, so I wish him luck, but really [you’d] be better off if you got back to New York City and did your job for the little time you have left.”
Mr. de Blasio pointed out that he released a “counter-video” in which he said the president looked a little “low-energy.” He also said crime has gone down in New York City five years in a row, and the economy is booming.
“He’s a little scared … if he wants me to go back to New York, he doesn’t want to have me competing with him,” he said Friday. “So I think it’s about knowing how to take on the bully — go right at him and take him down.”
Mr. de Blasio faces challenges in distinguishing himself in an already-crowded field that features more than 20 major contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. He has touted his work as mayor in shepherding liberal priorities such as boosting the minimum wage and expanding paid leave, health care, and pre-K.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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