New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who vowed to take on “bully” President Trump, has officially dropped out of the packed 2020 presidential race. He announced the end of his campaign on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Friday morning.
“I’m gonna end my presidential campaign, continue my work as mayor of New York City and I’m gonna keep speaking up for working people and for a Democratic party that stands for working people,” de Blasio said during his morning appearance.
In an opinion piece for NBC News, de Blasio conceded that after several months of campaigning, he had “reached the point where I feel I have contributed all I can to this Democratic primary.”
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De Blasio had been struggling in polling since he entered the race. He most recently failed to make the debate stage earlier this month.
“This campaign has been a profound experience for me. I saw America in full — not as it appears on Twitter and cable news, where we’re constantly shown a country hamstrung by our differences and unable to tackle the problems we face. We have more in common than we realize — and more and more of us across the country are overcoming our divisions and standing up for working people,” he wrote.
The third mayor the enter the race, de Blasio billed much of his candidacy on being the only candidate that has already helped put “working families first.”
“When we put working families first in New York City, the city got stronger. That can happen for our country, too,” de Blasio said in his campaign roll-out in May. He also focused much of his energy on directing jabs at Mr. Trump — frequently calling out the commander-in-chief as “Don the Con.”
In his final appeal to supporters Friday, de Blasio warned that a second term for Mr. Trump could become a reality if Democrats don’t reach out to “everyday Americans.”
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, reveled in news of de Blasio’s departure from the race, tweeting, albeit sarcastically, that it was “the biggest story in years.”
“Part time Mayor of New York City, @BilldeBlasio, who was polling at a solid ZERO but had tremendous room for growth, has shocking dropped out of the Presidential race. NYC is devastated, he’s coming home!” the president added.
While campaigning in earnest for hard-working Americans, de Blasio’s rare appearances on the national stage were often marred by gaffes and controversy. At a rally in Miami, de Blasio managed to quote Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the iconic Marxist revolutionary who helped install Fidel Castro as Cuba’s dictator.
During the second Democratic debate, de Blasio was silenced by protesters calling for the firing of an NYPD officer who put Eric Garner in a fatal chokehold. De blasio only acknowledged the topic until after another candidate brought it up.
De Blasio now says he intends on “redoubling” his efforts as New York City mayor and focusing his energy on policies like paid family leave and climate change. He, returns, however, to a city where he’s been just as unpopular as on the campaign trail. Just weeks before his announcement, polling found that he had a 42 percent approval rating, and 76 percent of New York City residents did not want him to run for president.
Despite widespread disapproval at home and across the country, de Blasio intends on making sure the Democratic party is “remade in the image of the activism I’ve seen all across this nation.”
“Democrats must return to our roots as a party focused on bold solutions that speak to the concerns of working people,” he implored.
This is a developing story.
