Former President Donald Trump killed a critical infrastructure project for New York City because of misgivings he had with then Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to an excerpt from a forthcoming book penned by former Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa.
The book, What's Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis, depicts two massive egos clashing when Cuomo aimed his ire at the embattled president, the Wall Street Journal reported, after reviewing an excerpt.
Cuomo called the Trump administration's handling of the response to the coronavirus pandemic as "dysfunctional and incompetent” during the Democratic National Convention in August 2020.
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
“We saw the failure of a government that tried to deny the virus, then tried to ignore it, and then tried to politicize it — the failed federal government that watched New York get ambushed by their negligence, and then watched New York suffer, but all through it learned absolutely nothing,” according to the opening night speech on video.
The public insult led Trump officials at the time to call off negotiations over federal aid for multiple New York City projects, according to the Journal.
After attempts to repair the relationship, DeRosa's book suggests Cuomo would censor himself when it came to taking potshots at the president's handling of COVID-19 and in return, New York was set to be gifted expedited federal monies for the Gateway Project and three other projects, according to the Journal.
The multi-billion dollar Gateway Project, which had been delayed again and again since it had begun planning in 2011, was a much-anticipated plan to build a new tunnel linking New Jersey and New York City.
It has yet to break ground but planning started in 2021 with a completion date set for 2035.
The friction between two politicians was reportedly so white hot that it inspired Trump to put the anticipated tunnel expansion out to pasture.
That's because Cuomo blabbed at the convention, their ceasefire was broken, and the administration responded, according to the book.
DeRosa writes that one day later Trump's son-in-law and White House senior advisor at the time Jared Kushner phoned her, and said, “The deal is off.”
