Bill de Blasio 'Deeply Disappointed' With Donald Trump's Victory, But Congratulates And Pledges To Work With Him
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Donald Trump may be a born and bred New Yorker, but can he work with the city's progressive mayor?
As CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported, Trump and Mayor Bill de Blasio are not exactly two peas in a pod. Trump favors charter schools, while the mayor does not. Trump thinks the stop, question and frisk policing policy can reduce crime, while the mayor famously does not.
De Blasio, a Democrat and supporter of Hillary Clinton's, said Wednesday that he was "deeply disappointed" with the outcome but is committed to working with Trump. De Blasio pointed out Clinton won the vote in New York City and the popular vote nationally.
"It's no secret that I have profound political disagreements with President-Elect Trump. But now comes the hard part: Governing," de Blasio said. "I take solace in the fact that the president-elect is a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker and I hope and trust he will remember the lessons of a life lived in New York City."
But since the city depends on Washington for billions in aid, Kramer reported it was a shock that the mayor took to the podium at City Hall to announce that he would not cave to one of Trump's campaign promises – getting rid of illegal immigrants.
"We stand behind Lady Liberty with open arms to welcome immigrants and refugees. We always have and we always will," de Blasio said. "We embrace civil rights and religious diversity: We always have and we always will."
The mayor spoke for less than five minutes and refused to take questions, leaving aides to explain that New York City would continue to be a sanctuary city – protecting those in the country illegally.
Experts said Trump's win was not good news for the city.
"It's very bad news for Bill de Blasio," said consultant Susan del Percio.
And since the two are ideological polar opposites, NYU professor Mitchell Moss said, "New York City is going to be on its own – let's be serious."
Moss did say he still expects Trump to support new infrastructure projects – building roads, bridges and airports.
But he added: "There was no mention of cities in this election. There were no mentions of having help for the homeless. There was no mention of anything except restricting immigration; restricting trade."
Brooklyn U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), long viewed as a potential challenger to de Blasio, took a different tack with regard to the president-elect.
"I'm looking forward to try to find common ground with him; do what's best for the American people and certainly for the city of New York," he said.
De Blasio's comments came after Hillary Clinton delivered her concession speech.
Experts said another potential impact of Clinton's loss is that Gov. Andrew Cuomo could emerge as a presidential candidate in 2020, which, of course, could further complicate his relationship with de Blasio.
There was no comment from Team Trump on de Blasio's speech.
