New York Governor Cuomo meets with President Trump
Cuomo says Trump will work with him on coronavirus test goals; reaction and analysis on 'The Five.'
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Jesse Watters said on "The Five" Tuesday that President Trump and Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo likely work well together behind the scenes despite their public sniping over the coronavirus response.
"Right now, what you're seeing are two people, politicians jockeying for position, and they are getting egged on by the media," Watters said. "You understand the game."
THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK, STATE-BY-STATE
Watters recalled a recent interview of Cuomo by radio shock jock Howard Stern, in which the governor said he can call Trump or the White House at any time of day and promptly receive a callback.
"He's done more for New York than any other state," Watters said of Trump. "So I think it is very good and symbolic and important for the country to see these guys working on the federal and state level across party lines in the Oval Office together."
Watters noted that Trump, 73, will have known Cuomo's family for decades dating back at least to the gubernatorial tenure of Andrew's father Mario in the 1980s and early 1990s.
"I think [Andrew] is a pragmatic politician -- old-school in that regard," he said. "He knows when to make a stink to get what he needs and he knows when to kiss up to get what he needs." Watters added that Andrew knows well that Trump enjoys receiving "affirmation" and is happy to oblige when necessary.
Earlier in the segment, "The Five" showed several clips of the two leaders sparring over the pandemic response.
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"We gave them 2,900 hospital beds. He didn't use them," Trump said of Cuomo recently. "We gave them a ship, they didn't use them."
Andrew Cuomo similarly sniped at the president during a recent news briefing: "He's sitting at home watching TV. Maybe he should get up and go to work."
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