© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
NYC ultra-liberal Mayor Bill de Blasio enters 2020 presidential race with a fizzle
Image source: Bill de Blasio 2020 YouTube video screenshot

NYC ultra-liberal Mayor Bill de Blasio enters 2020 presidential race with a fizzle

A former aide called his White House bid 'f***ing insane'

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has officially announced his much anticipated entrance into the 2020 Democratic presidential field, despite skepticism from opponents and supporters alike.

What are the details?

De Blasio launched his bid with a video released Thursday morning, promising to redistribute wealth by declaring, "There's plenty of money in this country, it's just in the wrong hands."

He went on to explain his vision for how Americans' money could be better allocated by touting his progressive accomplishments while leading the Big Apple, such as raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, guaranteed paid sick leave, "free" pre-K, and universal health care for citizens and non-citizens alike."

"It doesn't matter if you live in a city, a rural area, a big state, a small state, it doesn't matter what your ethnicity is, people in every part of this country feel stuck, or even like they're going backwards," de Blasio said without further explanation. "But, the rich got richer."

The mayor then took aim at President Donald Trump, saying, "I've known Trump's a bully for a long time ... and I know how to take him on."

Working People First | Bill de Blasio 2020www.youtube.com

President Trump reacted to de Blasio's candidacy on Twitter, calling him "a joke" and saying his own city "hates him."

How do his chances look?

De Blasio becomes the 23rd Democrat to throw his hat into the ring for 2020, despite lackluster support even from his own constituents. Fox News reported that a Quinnipiac University poll from last month showed 76 percent of New York City voters did not believe the mayor should run for president, giving him "an anemic" job approval rating.

The mayor's allies have been warning him against issuing a White House bid for months. In March, a former de Blasio aide told Politico that the notion of him running in 2020 is "f***ing insane," while another unnamed ally referred to the idea as "idiotic."

Just Monday, de Blasio was heckled and called the "worst mayor ever" during a news conference to promote his Green New Deal.

Another challenge facing de Blasio — besides an uphill climb for recognition in a bloated Democratic field full of similar socialist-leaning platforms — is the embattled relationship he's built with the hometown press during his tenure.

On Wednesday, the New York Post editorial board outlined "all the reasons de Blasio's 2020 presidential candidacy is a complete farce," calling the mayor "incompetent," "crooked," "oblivious and arrogant" before detailing his failings.

Want to leave a tip?

We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?