New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed back on his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, and his claims about the governor’s interactions with President Trump.
During Wednesday night’s airing of Cuomo Prime Time, the younger Cuomo asked his brother how there is still a lack of progress in combating the coronavirus pandemic despite his having multiple “good meetings” with Trump, prompting a correction from the governor.
“You keep talking to the federal government about what you need to reopen. You keep saying you have good meetings, so does he, and then you don’t have what you need to reopen. How is this progress?” the network host asked.
“I don’t know that — your assertion is factually accurate. I don’t keep meeting with the federal government. And I don’t keep meeting with the president. We had one meeting. And it was a good meeting. It was a productive meeting,” the governor said.
He then told his brother that he felt his Tuesday meeting with Trump was successful because they narrowed down the next several steps needed for both the state and the federal government.
“The president’s point that the states should take the lead on testing is right. I have 300 labs in my state, OK? I regulate those labs. They’re basically private labs, but I regulate them. I should determine how many tests we need, where we can do them, et cetera,” he explained.
“But the labs have to get the supplies from these national manufacturing companies that they bought the machines from,” he continued. “And each machine has its own chemicals and its own testing kit, et cetera. Those national manufacturers say they can’t get enough test kits, so my labs don’t have the supplies. That is a job that the federal government should do.”
