Andrew Cuomo Reacts to Trump Tweet During COVID-19 Press Conference
On April 17, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York held his daily press
conference update on the current COVID-19 pandemic. The press conference itself was set up to
promote the social distancing objectives of the government. Reporters had about six feet of
space between one another and Cuomo in the center of the NY state government panel that was
in charge of the state’s Coronoavirus response. This set-up by Cuomo enables him to directly
speak to his constituents about the pandemic and suggest new efforts that need to be made within
the state and at the federal level. As shown in the Mast, The Performative Presidency, reading
codes and narratives have to be seen within time and space to be meaningful to the audience.
Cuomo has continually used social distancing practices at his daily press conferences to reiterate
to the people within New York and around the United States that everyone needs to be practicing
social distancing if the United States is to overcome this health pandemic.
Surprisingly, during this press conference, a reporter asked Cuomo about a tweet from
President Trump saying that Governor Cuomo should be taking more action and doing less
complaining about the federal government’s response to COVID-19. In his response, Cuomo
stated that he wanted to leave emotion and egos out of politics so that all efforts are focused on
helping the people get through this crisis and those affected by the Coronavirus. Throughout his
response, Cuomo appeared calm and confident that his efforts are for the better interest of the
people and that Trump needs to understand that everyone in the nation is doing what they believe
is best based on President Trump’s Taskforce and the CDC’s pandemic projections. Cuomo says
that the fact that there were 2,500 beds made by the federal government for New York and that
they did not have to be used shows that there is some form of “flattening of the curve” within
New York and the United States.
Andrew Cuomo has not hesitated to call out the President for his response methods to the
Coronavirus. Cuomo has been outspoken and a leader for all the United States in how to deal
with the pandemic. Considering his state is in the worst health crisis out of the rest of the states,
Cuomo has taken it upon himself to ensure that the President is working to help out all
Americans prior to reopening the economy. Cuomo sees the pandemic as the most important
issue to fix immediately, while then the economy can be fixed afterwards.
Cuomo is displaying a very bold character to the American people. While this may turn
away some Americans because they do not agree with going against a health task force and the
CDC, Cuomo has had the right attitude the entire time. He clearly wants to help the American
people and ensure that the virus does not reach every home in the United States. He wants the
people to be able to have their freedoms back, but understands the pandemic needs to be
controlled beforehand. In Chapter 5 of The Performative Presidency, Mast discusses how the
nation’s leaders have a specific character and role that combines political ideology, character,
morality, and emotion. Cuomo has been a strong leader during this pandemic that is pointing out
federal government overlooks and mistakes. By doing so, Governor Cuomo is showing during
his press conferences that there are multiple methods to defeat the invisible enemy of the
Coronavirus and that the President may not be doing what is best for the future health of the
citizens of the United States.
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