Donald Trump for New York Governor 2018: Billionaire Says He Could Beat Andrew Cuomo, But Rob Astorino Won't
Could Donald Trump be the next governor? The billionaire says he is interested in running for the position if certain conditions are met and thinks he has a good chance of winning.
In an interview with Albany's WGDJ-AM, Trump said he believes he could beat the current governor, democrat Andrew M. Cuomo, in a race.
"I think it's a race that could be won, but I wouldn't do it if it wasn't a unified party," Trump said.
According to the republican, Governor Cuomo's Start-Up NY program is "stupid," and its promotional commercials are an "obnoxious" campaign that only serves to promote Cuomo.
If Rob Astorino, Republican Westchester County Executive, decides to run, however, Trump said he would not interfere, although he does not believe Astorino would actually win.
"I wouldn't waste my time [if Astorino runs]," Trump explained. "I like Rob. If Rob wants to run, I wish him a lot of luck. He's not going to win."
The Apprentice magnate said that he will not be promoting his potential run for governor at this spring's GOP convention.
"I really want unity," Trump said. "I want to go in there right from the beginning, and I want to go in swinging right from the beginning. I don't want to be knocking Rob or knocking anybody else to win a primary."
According to Trump, it is GOP Chairman Ed Cox's job to unite the Republican Party.
"That's what I am waiting for," he said. "Let's see if they learn how to win."
It is important to note, however, that Trump did not commit to running for governor, even if his list of conditions is met.
If he begin a campaign, Trump said that he would run on a moderately conservative platform.
"My views are conservative, but I wouldn't say overly conservative," Trump said. "I am very conservative when it comes to fiscal matters."
The billionaire is also against Cuomo's SAFE Act gun control law and abortion. When it comes to gay marriage, Trump would only say it is "an evolving issue."
"We're thrilled that we have two potential candidates for governor who understand that Andrew Cuomo has failed to seriously address the barriers to economic growth in New York state," David Laska, a spokesman for Cox, told Newsday.