h. nazan ışık—
16 November 2016—
“The purpose of the meeting was for me to assert to him the concerns and the needs of all New Yorkers. My job as Mayor is to be their voice and to give him perspective on what New Yorkers are feeling right now, what their concerns are, what their fears are,” said Mayor de Blasio during a press conference in front of Trump Tower.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio met with President-elect Donald J. Trump on Wednesday, 16 November at Mr. Trumps home and his transition headquarters, Trump Tower, in Midtown Manhattan.
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Mayor de Blasio coming out of Trump Tower after a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump
The meeting between Mr. Blasio and Mr. Trump lasted 62 minutes, and at a press conference in front of Trump Tower Mayor de Blasio said “I raised a number of substantive issues. I’m not going to characterize his positions or responses, but I will give you a sense of what we talked about.”
The mayor said he talked to him about concerns about proposed deportations. “New York City, the ultimate city of immigrants, a place that has succeeded because it was open for everyone, a place built a generation after generation of immigrants. And I reiterated to him that this city and so many cities around the country will do all we can to protect our residents and to make sure that families are not torn apart.”
“I talked to him about our Muslim community. I let him know something that so many people don’t know – that there are 900 Muslim members of the NYPD, protecting all of us, protecting every community, every kind of person.”
“I talked to him about the proposal for tax cuts for the wealthy and for corporations. I don’t think there should be tax cuts for the wealthy. I don’t think there should be tax cuts for big corporations,” and later he said, “Believe we need the wealthy to pay their fair share. I believe corporations have to pay the taxes they’re not paying us now and we have to stop giving tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas”
And he said that he talked to him about police-community relations in general and specifically the question of stop and frisk. And continued, “I tried to provide perspective on how since we changed that policy the City had gotten safer. That we were going to continue on a path of neighborhood policing and building a bond between police and community.”
He said that he put his card on the table, not only about what he believes, but what people’s needs are, what their fears are. And reminded that his job, as Mayor of New York City, is to work with the President-elect while maintaining very clearly his beliefs and what he thinks is in the interest of the people of this City, “And I let him know that so many New Yorkers were fearful and that more had to be done to show that this country can heal, that people be respected.”
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Mayor de Blasio during a press conference in front of Trump Tower
“I reiterated to the President-elect that I would be open minded as we continue substantive discussions, but I would swift to react anytime an action is taken that will undermine the people of New York City. I also know that New Yorkers will stand together.
We’re going to stand up for the needs of working people.
We’re going to stand up for our immigrant brothers and sisters.
We’re going to stand up for anyone who because of any policy is excluded or affronted, be they members of the Muslim community, or the Jewish community, members of the LGBT community, women – anyone who feels policies are being undertaken that undermine them.”
“It was a candid dialogue and a substantive dialogue,” said Mr. Mayor, and he left the meeting with the door open for more dialogue.
Asked if Mr. Trump said anything about his plans, de Blasio said “He did not talk about his plans and it is too soon to tell. We have to see how things proceed. This was the first meeting.”
Photo © h. nazan ışık / NKENdiKEN
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