NY Gov. Cuomo takes on coronavirus as Democrats' standard bearer in convention speech
- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo focused on the coronavirus and government competency in his speech for the opening night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention on Monday night.
- Cuomo presented himself as a standard-bearer for the nation's fight against the pandemic, calling for a better federal response than the Trump administration's.
- "We saw the negative, but we also saw the positive. As they proved their way failed, we proved that our way succeeded; that America can still rise to the occasion. We can put our differences aside and find commonality."
- "Americans' eyes have been opened, and we have seen in this crisis the truth: that government matters and leadership matters. And it determines whether we thrive and grow, or whether we live or die."
Against a backdrop of his famous PowerPoint slides, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo used his speaking time at the opening night of the Democratic National Convention Monday night as a rallying cry for a better coronavirus response.
Cuomo decried the Trump administration for being too sluggish in addressing the pandemic and took aim at President Donald Trump.
"Only a strong body can fight off the virus, and America's divisions weakened it," Cuomo said. "Donald Trump didn't create the initial division. The division created Trump; he only made it worse."
Cuomo also presented himself and New York as standard-bearers for how the nation should deal with the pandemic.
"We saw the negative, but we also saw the positive," he said. "As they proved their way failed, we proved that our way succeeded; that America can still rise to the occasion. We can put our differences aside and find commonality."
In underscoring his support for Joe Biden as the presumptive nominee, Cuomo stressed the importance of government competence in the COVID-19 era.
"Americans' eyes have been opened, and we have seen in this crisis the truth: that government matters and leadership matters. And it determines whether we thrive and grow, or whether we live or die."