Andrew Cuomo on His Past and New York’s Future

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May 20, 2025

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo discusses his turbulent political journey, from being 'America's Governor' during the pandemic to facing scandals that led to his resignation. He shares insights on his mayoral campaign, emphasizing public safety and urban issues. Cuomo critically examines the current governance challenges in NYC, including homelessness and education, while addressing identity politics and the need for unity in the Democratic Party. He also reflects on the impact of COVID policies and offers a peek into his personal favorites in the city.

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INSIGHT

New York City's Crisis and Paralysis

New York City faces real trouble with public safety, quality of life, and affordability driving residents away.
Andrew Cuomo believes the city suffers from government paralysis and lack of intelligent, decisive leadership.

INSIGHT

Cuomo on Progressivism vs Socialism

Andrew Cuomo maintains he remained a progressive Democrat throughout his career.
He distinguishes true progressivism as practical government action, contrasting with far-left socialism.

INSIGHT

Why Democrats Lost New York City

Andrew Cuomo attributes Trump's gains in NYC to Democratic failures, not Trump's strength.
He highlights Democratic disconnection from working-class needs and government dysfunction as roots of electoral losses.

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When you think about great political comebacks, maybe you think of Donald Trump, or Richard Nixon, or “comeback kid” Bill Clinton.

You might soon add Andrew Cuomo to that list. In 2020, Cuomo was at the top of the world. He had been governor of New York for a decade. He had an illustrious career in New York politics—which is sort of the Cuomo family business. He learned how the state worked from his father, three-term Democratic governor Mario Cuomo.

When COVID hit, Governor Cuomo’s star just kept rising. Millions of Americans—even outside of New York—tuned into his COVID briefings, and his CNN segments with his brother, Chris Cuomo.

He was “America’s Governor.” On the cover of Rolling Stone. Women and men were even self-identifying as “Cuomosexual.”

But then it all came crashing down. With two scandals—one personal and one political.

As Covid was peaking in New York City, Andrew Cuomo was hit with a wave of allegations. In the end, state Attorney General Letitia James brought forward a report that alleged Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women. (Cuomo denies wrongdoing.)

The other scandal, as many will recall, had to do with Covid—specifically, Cuomo’s administration was accused of mishandling the readmission of elders who’d had Covid into nursing homes, and many alleged that he misrepresented the nursing home death count. The governor disputes that, as you’ll hear today.

By August 2021, Cuomo announced his resignation. His political career appeared to be over.

For a time, he totally disappeared from public life. He went from having an audience of 59 million tuning into his Covid briefings to zero.

But today, in May of 2025, the picture is dramatically different. Andrew Cuomo is now the front-runner to be the next mayor of New York City. Among Democrats—the party that tore him down—he has a commanding lead, polling at around 37 percent ahead of next month’s primary. His closest competitor, 33-year-old socialist state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, is hovering around 18 percent, according to a Marist Marist poll from just last week.

So, what is it about Andrew Cuomo? Will New York choose Andrew Cuomo again? And if so, why? What does that say about the state of the city and our political choices? And why does he want the job of mayor at all?

Today on Honestly, Bari asks former governor Andrew Cuomo about all of it—Covid and the harassment allegations, but also his vision for New York City, addressing public safety and affordability, his thoughts on school choice, Eric Adams’s tenure, the state of the Democratic Party, Donald Trump, illegal immigrants in New York City, Zohran Mamdani, and his plan for getting NYC back on track.

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