May 16, 2019 - New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Announces Candidacy 

• Despite a chorus of voices urging him not to run, on May 16 New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio became the 23rd candidate enter the race.  The sentiment against a run was perhaps bes captured by the satirical Onion, which ran a May 9 article headlined, "De Blasio PAC Spends $30 Million On Ads Urging Candidate Not To Embarrass Self By Running."  The New York Times ran an editorial questioning the ethics of de Blasio's PAC fundraising ("De Blasio May Want to Be President. What Do His Donors Want.")

• De Blasio, accompanied by wife Chirlane, announced ABC News' "Good Morning America" and via video.  de Blasio highlighted his accomplishments as Mayor: $15 minimum wage, paid sick leave, guaranteed health care, and free pre-K for all.

May 16, 2019 Video "Working People First" 3m7s


de Blasio
: There's plenty of money in this world. There's plenty of money in this country. It's just in the wrong hands.

[Music]

Here in New York City, a place that is legendarily tough and big and complicated—

Good thing about New Yorkers is they look the same whether they're really pissed off at you or they like you.

We build an agenda that puts working families first.

We had to fight all over the city, all over the state, to make sure that people got a decent wage. We are raising the wage to $15 an hour.  [applause]

Waitresses and dishwashers and store clerks and people who work in small manufacturing firms, the backbone of New York City, you will have the legal guarantee for the first time of paid sick leave.

This has never existed anywhere else in this country. Fully comprehensive guaranteed health care. My wife Chirlane and I believe health care is a human right. It has to be available for all, it has to be affordable, and it has to include mental health services.

Chirlane: Everything begins with being healthly and there's no health without mental health.

de Blasio: Today, we announced free full day, high quality pre K.

Chirlane: People come up to Bill every day and thank him for making that possible. It makes a real difference in the child's life; it makes real difference in the family's life.

[Music changes tempo]

de Blasio: Doesn't matter if you live in a city or a rural area, a big state, a small state; doesn't matter what your ethnicity is. People in every part of this country feel stuck or even like they're going backwards. But the rich got richer.

I'm a New Yorker. I've known Trump's a bully for a long time. This is not news to me or anyone else here, and I know how to take him on.

When Donald Trump started separating families —

de Blasio clip: Our message to the federal government is simple. Stop this broken inhumane policy right now.

— we sent lawyers to the border to help protect those families.

When he told us he was going to cut off our security funding, we took him to court and we beat him.

When we saw our national government walk away from the Paris Agreement, we doubled down.

de Blasio clilp: This battle to save our earth will be won or lost in our lifetime. There's no second chance.

Don't back down in the face of the bully; confront him, take him on.

As president I will take on the wealthy, I will take on the big corporations, I will not rest until this government serves working people. As mayor of the largest city in America, I've done just that.

Woman: de Blasio for president, guys.

de Blasio: Donald Trump must be stopped. I've beaten him before and I will do it again.

I'm Bill de Blasio and I'm running for president because it's time we put working people first.





I can't believe it.  I just heard that the worst mayor in the history of New York City, and without question the worst mayor in the United States, is now running for president.  It will never happen. I'm pretty good at predicting things like that.  I would be very surprised to see him in there for a long period, but it's just not going to happen.  If you like high taxes and if you like crime you can vote for him, but most people aren't into that.  So I wish him luck, but you'd be better off if you got back to New York City and did your job for the little time you have left.  Good luck.  Do well.

Republican National Committee
May 16, 2019

“Bill de Blasio is a liberal extremist who wants the government to control everything from your health care to what you eat. Americans can rest assured that he won't win, but unfortunately his socialist policies fit right in with the rest of his comrades in the race.” – RNC Communications Director Michael Ahrens

Here’s just some of what you need to know about de Blasio…  


1. New York Post, 4/22/19; CNBC, 5/2/19

2. New York Post, 9/24/14; New York Daily News 10/28/17

3. Vanity Fair, 5/3/19; Quinnipiac, 4/3/190

4. Politico, 3/11/19

5. The New York Times, 10/6/18

6. The New York Times, 9/22/13