Andrew Cuomo calls Donald Trump a 'bully' and Internet reminds him of his own problematic behavior

HARLEM, NEW YORK: During a fiery speech at First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo took aim at Donald Trump, branding the president a "bully."

But the remark quickly drew backlash, with critics pointing out that Cuomo himself has faced similar accusations.

During his speech, the former governor of New York also reflected on his clashes with Trump during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, describing their tense exchanges as part of a broader pattern of confrontation.

Andrew Cuomo recalls fighting with Donald Trump 'about everything'

At the Palm Sunday service, recalling his feud with Donald Trump, Andrew Cuomo said, "We almost created issues to fight about. It became so commonplace. But we fought about vaccines. We fought about federal resources. We fought about ships, we fought about everything."

The 67-year-old added, "And you know what I learned about Mr Trump? He is a bully. And you know what you do with a bully? You stand up to a bully. When they put their finger in your chest, you step forward. You don’t step back … We’re going to stand up to the bully."

Republicans call Andrew Cuomo the 'original thug in New York politics'

The comments drew immediate criticism from Republicans, many of whom accused Andrew Cuomo of hypocrisy.

"Hello, pot, meet kettle. Cuomo was the biggest bully in Albany for years," said New York State Senator George Borrello, who represents the Buffalo-Rochester area and previously served as Chautauqua County Executive.

GOP State Chairman Ed Cox also fired back, saying, "Talk about a bully. Cuomo is the original thug in NY politics."

While Cuomo, who is running for New York City mayor, was in Harlem to promote his ambitious housing plan — aiming to build 500,000 units over the next decade, with two-thirds designated for low-and moderate-income residents — much of the attention focused on his sharp remarks about Trump.

The former governor also proposed incentivizing faith-based organizations to repurpose surplus land for housing development.

A spokesperson for city comptroller and fellow mayoral hopeful Brad Lander didn't hold back, drawing a direct comparison between Cuomo and Trump.

"New Yorkers know that Andrew Cuomo and Donald Trump are longtime friends who share a history of corruption, daddy issues," said Lander's representative, Dora Pekec, as per New York Post.

However, not everyone saw their similarities as a negative. Longtime Trump confidante and political strategist Roger Stone offered a different perspective, suggesting that their reputations for being combative are actually strengths.

"One thing you can say for certain: Donald Trump and Andrew Cuomo are both very tough guys and in American politics only the tough survive," Stone remarked.

Internet rushes to Donald Trump's defense as Andrew Cuomo calls him a 'bully'

Andrew Cuomo’s remark about Donald Trump being a "bully" sparked a wave of reactions online, as netizens rushed to share their thoughts, with many slamming the former New York governor. 

One wrot, "President Trump is not a bully, the left just calls him a bully because he hurts their feelings by rejecting their bs," and another said, "Cuomo - you are the problem." 

A person quipped, "Haaaaa! Cuomo calling Trump a bully... thats the best," while someone else added, "Thug is a much better description for Cuomo than bully."

Countering the former New York governor's claims, an individual wrote, "Cuomo kept making demands for supplies during Covid hoping they wouldn’t be available… that would be his excuse. Trump provided everything cuomo asked for which ultimately went unused and cuomo stuffed the elderly in to the homes with disastrous results. Cuomo had no excuses.. don’t ever let him back in public service again."

One took a jab at him, writing, "Just another career politician incapable of getting a real job," possibly referring to his mayoral bid.  

"Barking up the wrong tree, Cuomo. President Trump is not the man to accuse of bullying. If elected, Cuomo needs all the help he can get from him," another comment read. 

"Cuomo is a complete fraud! Now that he has been irrelevant for the last couple of years, maybe he should realize that he is an incompetent leader," another snarked. 

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online