Becoming the 23rd Democrat to join a very crowded field, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday announced his run for the presidency.
De Blasio finally made his decision after spending some five months or so teasing a possible White House bid.
“I’m Bill de Blasio and I’m running for president because it’s time we put working people first,” the mayor said in a YouTube video announcing his candidacy.
His “Working People First” program includes such policy initiatives as universal pre-K and paid sick leave.
“As president I will take on the wealthy, I will take on the big corporations, I will not rest until this government serves working people,” he noted in the video.
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“As mayor of the largest city in America I have done just that,” he added.
“Donald Trump must be stopped,” he also declared. “I’ve beaten him before and I will do it again.”
He’s expected to visit Iowa and South Carolina this week.
The New York Post didn’t hold back about de Blasio.
“People just don’t like him, polls show,” the publication noted. “De Blasio has the dubious distinction of being the only candidate or potential candidate out of 23 contenders to earn a negative rating among national Democrats in a March Monmouth University survey. A total of 24 percent gave him a thumbs down while just 18 percent had a favorable view of him.”
“At home, the numbers are even worse,” it added. “A staggering 76 percent of Big Apple voters don’t think he should run, according to an April Quinnipiac University Poll.”
Of de Blasio’s hope that his “urban policies will resonate nationally,” even The New York Times admitted, “He faces steep odds.”
Check out these tweets — and this video below:
I am hearing that Black Lives Matter is planning to protest Bill De Blasio’s (@NYCMayor’s) appearance on @GMA this morning.
How bad of a mayor must you be to have united the NYPD and Black Lives Matter against your candidacy?
Your city hates you, Bill.
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) May 16, 2019
"Could any 2020 Dem fumble an anti-Trump rally at Trump tower as badly as Bill de Blasio?" (via @TheHillOpinion) https://t.co/gyAdbqjqvZ pic.twitter.com/mvkmj6y38B
— The Hill (@thehill) May 16, 2019
Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York entered the Democratic presidential race, hoping his urban policies will resonate nationally. He faces steep odds. https://t.co/44GL2r7rC9
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 16, 2019
Today's cover: Bill de Blasio officially launches 2020 presidential campaign pic.twitter.com/g973kWfGJ3
— New York Post (@nypost) May 16, 2019
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