New York Governor Andrew Cuomo sat down for an embarrassing, gooey interview on ABC’s Good Morning America Wednesday. Co-anchor Amy Robach tossed the Democrat plenty of softballs while only offering a few critical questions. Shockingly, she completely ignored Cuomo's coronavirus nursing home scandal.
Robach started off the interview sympathizing with Cuomo over how bad the virus hit his state and asking what “keeps him up at night?” She moved on to fawn over Cuomo’s leadership, even comparing him to former President Obama:
You've been commended for your clear and your calm leadership. People from all over the country and the world have tuned in to your press conferences. Your statewide approval rating, a career high, 84%. You came in second only to President Obama as the most trusted democratic leader in America. How do you intend on spending that political capital that you've earned?
Robach stroked Cuomo’s ego further, praising him for being New York’s “homecoming King,” citing liberal women swooning over him:
I know you've been portrayed as some sort of a homecoming king of this crisis and headline from Jezebel “Help, I think I'm in love with Andrew Cuomo.” The New York Post dubbed you the new ‘Luv Guv.’ Chelsea Handler wrote you a love letter essay in Vogue entitled, “Dear Andrew Cuomo, I want to be your First Lady.” Your reaction to all that and your daughter's reaction to all that?
The GMA anchor went on to practically beg the New York Governor to run for higher office:
ROBACH: You've said that you have no political aspirations beyond the job you're in right now.
CUOMO: Right.
ROBACH: A lot of people are asking why. Why not think about something grander, bigger, presidential?
CUOMO: Because I support Joe Biden for president and I believe he's going to be the next president. I am not running for anything. I am Governor of New York and that's all I want to be.
ROBACH: Would you accept a cabinet position?
CUOMO: No.
ROBACH: In the Biden administration? That was a quick no.[giggles]
CUOMO: No.
ROBACH: Why not?
Though the interview was dominated by these type of questions, there were a few moments where Robach tried to be tougher. She asked him if he “regretted” not closing down the state a week earlier, as critics say it could’ve cut the death toll by 80%. She also asked, “Do you feel responsible for the New Yorkers who died in this pandemic?”
However these questions were undermined by the fact that she didn’t even bring up Cuomo’s biggest criticism--- that he ordered nursing homes in his state to accept COVID positive patients, which clearly exacerbated the death toll in nursing homes. Instead, Cuomo disavowed any responsibility for coronavirus deaths in his state and claimed he did everything right. That could’ve been an opportunity for Robach to point out what he did wrong. But she didn’t.
Instead, Robach turned to President Trump, and asked Cuomo to “grade” him on his handling of the pandemic, (before asking Cuomo to grade himself as well.) Both questions the governor deftly declined.
You can read a partial transcript below:
Good Morning America
6/17/20
...
AMY ROBACH: You've been commended for your clear and your calm leadership. People from all over the country and the world have tuned in to your press conferences. Your statewide approval rating, a career high, 84%. You came in second only to President Obama as the most trusted Democratic leader in America. How do you intend on spending that political capital that you've earned?
ANDREW CUOMO: Well, hopefully it gets us through this pandemic. To the extent that people trust the information I've been giving them and trust the decisions I've made based on that information, just let's get through this crisis.
ROBACH: Some critics have suggested that you ignored early warnings about the severity of this disease and that if you had shut down a week earlier or two that lives could have been saved. I believe that the former CDC director Tom Frieden says you could have cut New York's death toll by up to 80%. Obviously now we have information we didn't have then but do you regret now with the information you have now not shutting down New York earlier?
CUOMO: Well, we didn't have the information then.
ROBACH: Do you feel responsible for the New Yorkers who died in this pandemic?
CUOMO: I think the New Yorkers who died did not die because we failed them. We got them a hospital bed which we didn't know that we could. We got them a nurse with PPE, with a mask, with a gown. We got them a doctor. We got them a ventilator. Everyone who died, we did everything we could.
…
ROBACH: You've said that you have no political aspirations beyond the job you're in right now.
CUOMO: Right.
ROBACH: A lot of people are asking why. Why not think about something grander, bigger, presidential?
CUOMO: Because I support Joe Biden for president and I believe he's going to be the next president. I am not running for anything. I am Governor of New York and that's all I want to be.
ROBACH: Would you accept a cabinet position?
CUOMO: No.
ROBACH: In the Biden administration? That was a quick no.[giggles]
CUOMO: No.
ROBACH: Why not?
…
ROBACH: This is a serious topic as you might imagine yet there's been some levity in some of the praise you've received. I know you've been portrayed as some sort of a homecoming king of this crisis and headline from Jezebel “Help, I think I'm in love with Andrew Cuomo.” The New York Post dubbed you the new ‘Luv Guv.’ Chelsea Handler wrote you a love letter essay in Vogue entitled, “Dear Andrew Cuomo, I want to be your First Lady.” Your reaction to all that and your daughter's reaction to all that?
CUOMO: Well, my daughters dismiss it all right? Because they just dismiss it all. Look, it's nice, but it is what it is. You know, I've been around long enough to take everything with a grain of salt. You take the positive with a grain of salt. You take the negative with a grain of salt but to the extent people have relied on me through this that, I'm very grateful for because they needed to rely on government here but these are waters that we've never been in before, personally or collectively.
ROBACH: When are you going to hug your mom again?
CUOMO: I haven't hugged my mom since this started. I miss that. I don't think she misses it but I miss it.
