New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio met with President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday, in what the mayor described as a “candid” and “respectful” meeting.
The late-morning meeting between the two lasted an hour and took place at Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan. The mayor staged a press conference in front of the 58-story building located at 725 5th Ave. De Blasio, who recently officially kicked off his reelection campaign Monday, said that he met with Trump and “let him know that so many New Yorkers are fearful” and that more needed to be done “to show that people will be respected.”
“The balls in his court, people in this city and all over this country is looking to see what he’s going to do,” De Blasio said. The mayor listed off a series of concerns he shared with Trump, saying the men touched upon concerns regarding the President-elect’s proposed Muslim ban, any plan to deport undocumented immigrants and de-regulation of Wall Street.
Trump has eased off of his Muslim ban comment, but continues to assert his plans to enforce immigration laws. “It would actually undermine public safely if 500,000 New Yorkers feared talking to the police if they feared deportation,” de Blasio told Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.
“I think its fair to say that there was a give and take,” De Blasio said when asked to describe the conversation that took place in Trump’s personal office. The Mayor’s press conference revealed de Blasio’s ambitions to lead the progressive movement. He slammed Trump’s immigration “rhetoric” and described a culture of fear among millions of New Yorkers at the reality of a Trump presidency.
De Blasio is in the early stages of his re-election bid, hoping to squeeze out potential Democratic primary challengers by securing endorsements and raising funds early. (RELATED: NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Kicks Off Re-Election Bid With Garbage Union Endorsement)
The two men have gone after each other publicly, with De Blasio being a staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential bid.
De Blasio has encouraged anti-Trump protests since the real estate mogul defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in last week’s presidential election. The mayor described some of Trump’s campaign as “harsh rhetoric” and “extremist proposals,”
Trump has called de Blasio “the worst mayor in the U.S.” and “maybe the worst mayor in U.S. history,” firing back at the Mayor who had called Trump a “blow hard.”
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