Gingrich Attacks Gov. Cuomo, Romney, Pelosi During Fundraising Trip To NYC
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich was in New York City Monday night raising money as his campaign builds new momentum.
As CBS 2's Marcia Kramer reports, Gingrich isn't limiting his criticism to the competition.
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Maybe it was the rarified air of the big city -- air breathed by more Democrats than Gingrich likes -- because in an afternoon press conference the new GOP frontrunner set out to "Newt-er" a lot of Democrats. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's new plan to tax millionaires was near the top of the list.
"If I were the Florida chamber of commerce I would run ads to encourage him to do it," Gingrich said.
The attack came as Gingrich is surging in the Republican presidential primary. A new poll by the Des Moines Register has Gingrich on top in Iowa with 25 percent. Ron Paul is second with 18, followed by Mitt Romney at 16.
Kramer couldn't wait to ask Gingrich about that.
Kramer: "Mr. Gingrich, is this real or is this just a boomlet. Are you the boomlet of the week or is this real?"
Gingrich: "The American people will decide that."
And after meeting with Donald Trump, Gingrich went after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who has threatened to release details of an old House ethics probe of Gingrich.
"First of all I want to thank Speaker Pelosi for what I regard as an early Christmas gift. If she's suggesting that she is going to use material that she developed when she was on the Ethics Committee that is a fundamental violation of the rules of the House," Gingrich said.
Gingrich also sought to "Newt-er" his nearest competitor, Romney, who is trying to play the political outsider while casting the former House speaker as a Washington insider and career politician.
"I don't know that you ought to count running for the Senate in 1994, running for governor, then running for president for six years … I don't know whether that makes him a career politician or not," Gingrich said.
Gingrich was mobbed by reporters as he entered the Trump Tower building for his meeting Donald Trump.
Kramer asked Gingrich if he was the "flavor of the month" or if he was in it for the long haul.
"That's up to the American people," Gingrich replied, adding the core of his message will be about the economy.
Trump isn't normally known as a GOP kingmaker, though he might want to be, Kramer reported. That didn't stop the surging Gingrich campaign from meeting with him and trying to keep up their momentum.
"I've come to New York for two different reasons today. One is to make the case that if I do become the nominee, we're going to compete in all 50 states. I don't believe in a 'red versus blue' model," Gingrich said. "I believe that we are 100 percent Americans and I think that if the issue is food stamps versus paychecks that every state in the country will be in play and I intend to run as the paycheck candidate, and so I'm delighted to be here."
"This is a country that elected a peanut farmer to the presidency, that elected an actor who had made two movies with a chimpanzee, to the presidency. This is a country of enormously wide open talent," Gingrich said.
Gingrich said he asked Trump to go to a low performing school and take on 10 apprentices. Trump agreed.
"He did mention if I could do something for some of the kids in very, very poor schools throughout the city. I thought it was a great idea," Trump said. "We're going to be picking 10, young, wonderful children and... we're going to have a little fun with it, and I think it's going to be something that's going to prove results, but it was Newt's idea and I thought it was a great idea."
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