Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) criticized former President Donald Trump’s legal case in New York, arguing that it was politically motivated ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Trump was found guilty of all 34 counts in his hush money trial last month, making him the first former U.S. president to be convicted of felony crimes. In reflecting on this historic landmark, Cuomo contended that people are right to be upset about Trump’s guilty verdict, arguing that the case “would have never been brought” if Trump was not running for president again.
“That case, the attorney general’s case in New York, frankly, should never have been brought,” Cuomo said on Real Time with Bill Maher. “And if his name was not Donald Trump, and if he wasn’t running for president, I’m the former AG of New York, I’m telling you, that case would have never been brought. And that’s what is offensive to people, and it should be! Because if there’s anything left, it’s belief in the justice system.”
November’s election could end up being a rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden, with Cuomo claiming that Biden is not running “an especially good campaign” this election cycle. The former governor noted that Biden will need to answer “a big question” regarding his age and viability to serve as president, arguing that the only way to answer this is by “getting out there and letting people see you.”
Cuomo was joined by former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a frequent critic of Trump, who argued that Biden needs to be more aggressive with Trump in the months to come. Kinzinger noted how Trump has “that lizard brain” that tells voters what they want to hear and that he is able to reach out to these voters with his promises.
The first presidential debate will be held this Thursday, with several new rules that include candidates’s mics getting cut when it’s not their turn to talk, having no public audience, and having no pre-written notes. Kinzinger wondered if cutting the mics would undercut Trump’s “psycho-ness” that he displayed in the 2020 debate.
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Cuomo, meanwhile, predicted that Trump would continue to talk even when his mic is not on. He also advised Biden to appear “strong,” referencing how he appeared in his State of the Union speech.
While pre-written notes are not allowed during this 90-minute debate, each candidate will be given a pen, a notepad, and a bottle of water, with late-night host Bill Maher joking that the debate’s winner will be “who can tell which is which.” Maher’s joke was a reference to concerns some have about Trump and Biden running for office, as both are the oldest candidates to ever run for president.