Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that he and President Trump had spoken a day earlier about the Big Apple surge, and they agreed that the deployment of federal authorities is not necessary to stem the rise in crime.
“Yesterday I spoke to the president. The President had suggested that he was considering sending federal agents to New York, among other cities in New York City, to deal with what he saw as a problem of increased crime, “Cuomo told reporters during a conference. phone on Wednesday.
“I spoke to the president about it, I said that I was also concerned about the increase in crime in New York City and that people in New York City are also concerned about the increase in crime. I also said that at this point, I think the situation can be handled by the state. “
On Monday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Cuomo must either crush escalating gun violence in New York City, or send federal authorities to restore order.
During Cuomo and Trump’s Tuesday call, Cuomo said, told the President, “We have no need at this time for assistance.”
“I understand the crime issue. New Yorkers understand the crime issue in New York City, but I have not declared a public safety emergency, “said the governor. “The president agreed with that and said we would speak if he thought that circumstances would change.”
“If there is a public safety emergency in New York City, that would require assistance, which could happen, it could have a public safety emergency,” Cuomo said. “When that happens, we will be able to contribute additional resources or do whatever it takes to address the emergency.”
Cuomo said Trump promised that he would speak to him first if he was preparing to take any action regarding the deployment of federal police in the Big Apple.
“We dropped the conversation that if the president had any additional concerns, we would talk before taking any action, so it was a good conversation,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo called the increase in shooting in the city “a very serious situation” and said he has spoken to Mayor Bill de Blasio on the matter.
“We have been working with the city to make certain changes,” added Cuomo.
During the press conference, Cuomo also hit De Blasio on anti-police graffiti that has remained in Lower Manhattan buildings like the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building for weeks.
“Crime has increased, many people have left. We are going to have to work very hard to recover the economy, ”said Cuomo. “But graffiti is just another manifestation of decline.”
De Blasio finally took steps Wednesday to clean up the graffiti after being pushed by The Post and other members of the press.
“I think the city makes a big mistake by not addressing these situations,” said Cuomo. “I mean, clean it up! It is spray paint.
New Yorkers see graffiti “as a return to the old days … and it’s a problem,” said the governor.
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