Cuomo Meets With President-Elect Trump, Says Trump 'Knows New York'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo met with President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday, just two days before the New York businessman is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States.
As CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported, Cuomo himself might seek to dethrone Trump four years from now. But for the time being, the governor offered a plea for understanding of New Yorkers' needs.
PHOTOS: Trump Meets With Gov. Andrew Cuomo At Trump Tower
Cuomo smiled broadly and shook hands with Secret Service agents as he strolled into Trump Tower Wednesday morning. He certainly did not look like a man who wanted to tell Trump, "You're fired," in four years.
Trump said blandly that all he wanted to do was give the president-elect a perspective on what some of his proposals could mean for New York.
"I wanted to make sure he had the context of New York in those conversations," Cuomo said.
It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two men since the election, coming amid a complex mix of worry and jubilation at some of the new commander-in-chief's priorities.
Cuomo said one of the major points of discussion was Obamacare and how the president-elect's plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act will impact New Yorkers.
Repealing Obamacare could cost New York $3 billion, officials have warned. Cuomo also said that if the Affordable Care Act was repealed, it would leave around three million New Yorkers uninsured, and could affect residents across the state.
"If the federal government does make changes to Obamacare, it's very important to protect the accomplishments that Obamacare also brought to us," Cuomo said.
Cuomo said Trump was "knowledgeable" about the issues surrounding the Affordable Care Act and the different options that were being discussed.
"He's been briefed on the federal side, I wanted to make sure he had the New York State perspective from a budget point of view as he's considering those federal issues," Cuomo said.
Also under discussion is a tax overhaul proposal that would stop New Yorkers from deducting state and local taxes from their federal returns.
"It would be devastating for the state of New York, California, et cetera," Cuomo said.
On the other hand, Cuomo is anxious for federal funds for some of his ambitious infrastructure projects, such as redoing John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports, and fixing the subways.
Cuomo is also pushing for the Gateway Project, which aims to upgrade rail connections between New York and New Jersey.
Renovating Penn Station will also require federal funds.
He said he told Trump: "We are going ready to go in New York and we are ready to build. If he wants to put federal money to use, and put federal money to use quickly, this is the state to do it."
Cuomo said he also discussed the homelessness problem in New York with the president-elect, and how the Department of Housing and Urban Development could serve as a resource for the state.
On Tuesday night in Albany, Cuomo spoke about the unique position the state is in with a native New Yorker in the White House, WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported.
"He knows New York," Cuomo said. "I think it will be helpful to him to have a discussion about how these issues effect the practical reality of what these issues mean."
But of course, this was a meeting between two men with competing political pressures. Everyone wanted to know what it was really like?
"Was it like two Queens boys talking about things – chewing the fat – or more adversarial?" Kramer asked Cuomo at Trump Tower.
"It was not adversarial. I don't know what you mean by two Queens boys chewing the fat," Cuomo said with a smile. "We didn't chew the fat in Queens. Maybe two people with Queens accents – but we never chewed the fat."
And even though Cuomo has made it clear that he will be a vocal critic of policies that hurt New York, the governor did not criticize the nation's new leader on Wednesday. That was in dramatic contrast to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who denounced Trump immediately after he met with him.
De Blasio will lead a demonstration against Trump on Thursday night.
The Trump-Cuomo meeting comes just two days before Trump's inauguration, and the day after Cuomo released his state budget.
Many political observers believe Cuomo is laying the groundwork for a 2020 presidential run, with his ambitious and expensive plans for the state. Cuomo has said his only plan right now is to run for governor in 2018.