Former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo stated Thursday that he believes Dr. Anthony Fauci “played politics” during COVID-19 to “keep his job,” blaming “intimidation” from then-President Donald Trump in the process.

Cuomo appeared on “No BS News Hour with Charlie LeDuff” discussing his past actions as governor during the COVID-19 lockdowns. When asked about his “take on Fauci,” Cuomo praised the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as a “great civil servant,” however, also suggested he was “intimidated by Trump.”(RELATED: ​​EXCLUSIVE: Conservative Groups Urge Senators To Oppose Dr. Fauci’s Hand-Picked NIH Director Nominee)

“I think Fauci played politics. I think he was a great civil servant. I think he did a lot of good for a lot of years. I think he was intimidated by Trump. And Trump had a different story every week. And I think Fauci wanted to keep his job. And I think Fauci was intimidated by Trump. That’s what I think,” Cuomo stated. 

We’ve got former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo LIVE. If I were Whitmer’s pillow fluffers, I’d tune in. https://t.co/cbPolUkOkl

— Charlie LeDuff (@Charlieleduff) November 9, 2023

Cuomo was criticized for his handling of multiple COVID-19 related issues, including when he ordered nursing homes to accept over 9,000 recovering patients. Roughly 4,000 deaths of nursing home residents occurred during the time the order was active. After Cuomo’s government severely undercounted nursing home deaths, an investigation was ignited by federal prosecutors as well as an impeachment inquiry by the New York state assembly. (RELATED: Andrew Cuomo Sides With Donald Trump, Against DeSantis In COVID Spat)

“I think in the beginning, nobody knew what the heck they were talking about. And I took a different track. If you don’t know what you’re talking about, you know what, say you don’t know what you’re talking about, right?”

“Nobody expects the president of the United States or a governor of a state or anyone to have every answer to this unknown phenomenon that we have never dealt with before. Right? Let’s say – I would analogize it to a war,” Cuomo continued. “A president of the United States says we’re going to war, he doesn’t say ‘it’s going to be over by Easter. And by the way, none of our guys are gonna get shot because we have special vests.’ He doesn’t know. He doesn’t know. But he’s honest in saying this is the situation.” (RELATED: Andrew Cuomo Sides With Donald Trump, Against DeSantis In COVID Spat)

“Trump was never honest with the American people. He made it up and he kept making it up and they were different versions every time he opened his mouth. And that’s where people really got nervous.”

Cuomo later resigned from his position in August 2021 after allegations of sexual harassment surfaced from 11 women. Cuomo claimed that he stepped down so the state government could remain focused on the COVID-19 pandemic.