So far – and one must bear that qualifier in mind – it appears that Gov. Kathy Hochul is one Democratic governor who understands how to work with President Donald Trump.
That could change tomorrow, knowing how quickly people fall in and out of favor with this president. But so far Hochul seems to have earned an open channel with this White House, even as she has stated that she is “leading the resistance.” That’s a difficult line to walk, and it’s an important asset for New York’s business community.
On Friday, the governor visited the Oval Office for the second time – as far as we can tell, the only Democratic governor to have been granted so much face time with the president in his second administration.
Before going in, she offered in an interview with the podcast “Fast Politics” a glimpse of the approach that so far seems to be working for her. “I don’t need to be out there fighting over everything,” Hochul told Molly Jong-Fast. The governor said she wanted to choose common ground with Trump on infrastructure: redeveloping Penn Station – “a hellhole” – the subway system in Harlem and the Interborough Express in Brooklyn and Queens.
“If you attack our values or come after us in any way, then you’re picking a fight with me, and I don’t mind a fight at all,” Hochul said. “But I’m not looking to hit him on every single thing, because we’ll lose our credibility.”
Federal funds make up a total of $93.1 billion of the governor’s proposed $252 billion budget that begins April 1. Federal money accounts for $7.4 billion of the $114.5 billion in the mayor’s budget for the city beginning July 1.
Other politicians have tried different approaches to Trump and paid dearly.
First is Janet Mills, governor of Maine. She was seated at one of several tables at a White House event last month when Trump at the podium began speaking about his executive order essentially banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports. He asked Mills whether she planned to follow the order, at which point she apparently began to cite federal law, and Trump responded, “We are the federal law.”
She said, “See you in court,” and it’s been all downhill from there for Maine. At least five federal agencies have launched investigations. In response to Mills’ “court” statement, Trump predicted she will never be elected again.
Next up is New York’s Mayor Eric Adams. He has steadfastly withheld any criticism of Trump, apparently in the hope that the president would direct the U.S. Justice Department to drop federal bribery and campaign finance fraud charges against him. The latter part of the parlay seems to have paid off for the mayor, if a judge follows through as expected and drops the charges. But Adams has lost so much confidence among constituents who now see him as a Trump puppet, it’s hard to imagine him being elected again.
At least for today, here are a few lessons for leaders who oppose Trump. Choose your battles. Name your common ground. Don’t issue threats. Don’t give it all away before you have to.
Hochul seems to have found a way to walk the line, so far.
