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Gingrich Calls New Yorkers Who Live In High Rises, Ride The Subway 'Elites'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Many New Yorkers aren't happy with Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich after a comment he made about residents of the Big Apple earlier this week while stumping in Nevada.

LISTEN: 1010 WINS' Terry Sheridan reports

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The former House Speaker called Manhattanites who live in high rises "elites" because they ride the subway, somehow suggesting that New Yorkers aren't real Americans.

"I'm not elite," said one straphanger. "I work 70 hours a week. Always come down, take a train to Queens and work."

Maybe the comment stems from Gingrich losing out on an endorsement by New York billionaire Donald Trump, who despite reports that he would be backing the former House Speaker, threw his support to Mitt Romney instead.

Gingrich sought Trump's endorsement at a meeting in December at the real estate mogul's Trump Tower office in Manhattan. There, Gingrich told reporters he had persuaded Trump to mentor promising children from some of New York's poorest schools.

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(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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