ICYMI: Andrew M. Cuomo Delivers Remarks at Free Methodist Church of Bethlehem in Brooklyn
“If President Trump is going to attack people in New York, he’s going to have to go through me first.” - Andrew Cuomo
Brooklyn, N.Y. – Andrew M. Cuomo, candidate for Mayor of New York City, addressed congregants at the Free Methodist Church of Bethlehem in Brooklyn on Sunday, highlighting his vision for affordability, public safety, and quality education for all New Yorkers. Cuomo spoke candidly about the city’s challenges—rising rents, violent crime, and federal threats to essential programs—and laid out his plan to build affordable housing, expand community-based policing, and ensure every child receives a high-quality education.
Rush Transcript Below
“Good morning, God is good! It’s a pleasure to be back in the Free Methodist Church of Bethlehem. I want to thank your pastors for having me here today and Chris for translating. I’m also blessed to be joined by my daughter Cara, which makes this Sunday even more special.
My friends, we are in troubling times. It has become tremendously expensive to live in New York City. Affordability—especially rent—is almost impossible. Since COVID, a million people have moved out because they simply cannot afford to stay. Crime is also a serious issue: too many guns, too many gangs, too much violence, and too many innocent lives lost.
And we have a president in Washington—Donald Trump—who is a threat to every New Yorker. He wants to cut basic services like healthcare and food, and he has chased migrants all across this country. But I promise you this: if President Trump is going to attack people in New York, he’s going to have to go through me first. We’ve fought before. I got bloody, he got bloody. He won’t be so eager to start that fight again.
Our city must focus on three priorities:
Opportunity. New York is about opportunity. My grandfather came here as a poor Italian ditch digger. His son went to public school and became governor of New York. That’s the American Dream. But today too many of our public schools are failing—failing poor, Black, and Brown children. That has to change.
Affordability. The rent is too high because we don’t have enough housing. We have a 1% vacancy rate—if you don’t take the apartment, the next person will. Gimmicks like ‘freezing rent’ help a few while raising costs for many. We need to build more affordable housing—and make sure people in the community get first preference, so they aren’t displaced by gentrification.
Public Safety. I don’t want to wait up at night until my daughter calls to say she made it home safe from the subway. We shouldn’t have to live that way. I will hire 5,000 more police officers, working in partnership with communities, to make every neighborhood safe again.
Now, many politicians make promises. You know me—that’s not who I am. I was governor for 11 years. I balanced the budget every year. I was housing secretary for Bill Clinton and built housing across the nation. If I say I can get it done, I can get it done. Look at LaGuardia, Kennedy, the Kosciuszko Bridge, the Second Avenue Subway, Shirley Chisholm Park—we got those built. Government is not about talk, it’s about action. James 2:17: ‘Faith without works is dead.’
This is New York City—the greatest city on the globe. And I believe in New York because I believe in you.
We’ve already shown what we can do together. During COVID, we faced life and death. Nobody came to help us. But New Yorkers rose to the occasion. Bus drivers, grocery clerks, nurses, caregivers—neighbors helping neighbors. We set an example for the world of what courage and love can achieve.
If we could get through that, we can get through anything. And together, we will make this city better than it has ever been before.
Thank you, and God bless you.”
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