Trump: If New York Wants Ventilators Cuomo Better Start Kissing the Ring | Vanity FairSkip to main contentOpen Navigation MenuMenuSearchSearchPoliticsBusinessHollywoodStyleCultureRoyalsCelebrityVideoPodcastsArchiveVF ShopWhat Is Cinema?ArchiveVF ShopMagazineCoronavirusTrump: If New York Wants Ventilators Cuomo Better Start Kissing the RingApparently the president needs to be sufficiently flattered in order to do his job.By Bess LevinMarch 25, 2020By Alex Wong/Getty Images.Save this storySaveSave this storySaveOn the off chance it was previously unclear or existed in a gray area for some people, the coronavirus crisis has confirmed, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Donald Trump is a complete and total sociopath. Last week, in response to a softball question about what he would say to the millions of Americans who are scared of the deadly virus sweeping the nation, Trump told a reporter, “I say that you’re a terrible reporter.” On Sunday, after taking the pandemic semi-seriously for about a week, he started pushing to “open” the country by Easter, arguing that the economy is more important that actual lives. And during a virtual town hall with Fox News on Tuesday, he appeared to suggest he’s willing to let thousands of New Yorkers die because Governor Andrew Cuomo hasn’t sufficiently sucked up to him.Seemingly referring to Cuomo’s plea this week for the federal government to send more ventilators to the epicenter of the crisis, where 192 people have died—“Four hundred ventilators? I need 30,000 ventilators,” Cuomo said—Trump told Fox: “It’s a two-way street, they have to treat us well also. They can’t say, Oh gee we should get this, we should get that. We’re doing a great job. Like in New York where we’re building as I said, four hospitals…we’re literally building hospitals and medical centers, and then I hear there’s a problem with ventilators, well we sent them ventilators and they could have had 15 or 16,000, all they had to do was order them two years ago but they decided not to do it, they can’t blame us for that.”X contentThis content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.According to the Daily Beast, Trump’s reference to New York supposedly passing up an opportunity to get ventilators two years ago came from a column by Betsy McCaughey, a die-hard supporter of the president, whose characterization of the situation was entirely off base:A source on Gov. Cuomo’s team told the Daily Beast they believed McCaughey was referencing a 2015 New York government health report on ventilator guidelines for her column. The report’s data on ventilator need was based on numbers gathered for the 1918 influenza pandemic. The report’s guidelines went on to say that it was “not possible to accurately calculate the impact of a severe pandemic, including ventilator need” and that it is “likely that the approach used overestimates the number of ventilators that would be needed during a severe pandemic.”President Trump “obviously didn’t read the document he’s citing—this was a five-year-old advisory task-force report, which never recommended the state procure ventilators—it merely referenced that New York wouldn’t be equipped with enough ventilators for a 1918 flu pandemic,” said Dani Lever, director of communications for Cuomo. “No one is, including Mr. Trump.”As for the notion that Trump is only willing to go to bat for people who flatter him, a White House official basically confirmed that’s exactly what’s happening. “If you’re good and respectful to [Trump], he will treat you the same—it’s that simple,” the official told the Daily Beast. “The president has always said that he fights back when he needs to, and the situation with [Cuomo] is no different. If you keep that in mind, their sort of seesaw relationship during [coronavirus] doesn’t come as a surprise.” For his part, Cuomo has praised the White House, graciously thanking it for helping facilitate the construction of makeshift hospitals and sending the Army Corps of Engineers to help, and thanking the president at various press conferences. But apparently also noting that the situation is dire, and begging the president to invoke the Defense Production Act so people can breathe, is an act of treason not tolerated by the current regime.While Cuomo has bore the brunt of Trump’s attacks on various Democratic governors, he’s far from the only one the president has gone after. Earlier this month, Trump called Washington governor Jay Inslee a “snake” and publicly admitted to telling Vice President Mike Pence “not to be complimentary” of him. And in other sociopathic moves, here’s what the president of the United States had to say about the news that a member of Congress had tested negative for COVID-19:X contentThis content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.More Great Stories From Vanity Fair— Trump Awakens to the COVID-19 Danger— Could Wall Street’s Coronavirus Tsunami Get Worse?— Jared Kushner Told Trump the Coronavirus Was Fake News— Tucker Carlson on How He Brought His Coronavirus Message to Mar-a-Lago— The 12 Most Insane Moments From Trump’s National Emergency Presser— How a QAnon Coronavirus Conspiracy About Oprah Went Viral— From the Archive: Inside the Week of Hurricane Katrina, Revealing the Foolishness, Fear, and Politics That Turned a Natural Disaster Into a Man-Made CatastropheLooking for more? Sign up for our daily Hive newsletter and never miss a story.Bess LevinPolitics CorrespondentBess Levin is a politics correspondent at Vanity Fair. An essential voice of our current tragicomedy, she is an incisive, hilarious daily narrator of the horrors that never seem to stop. If you need catharsis in these terrifying times—or even if you don’t!—she is a must-read. You can follow her ... Read moreSee More By Bess Levin »Read MoreCoronavirusTrump Uses Coronavirus Press Conference to Confirm He’s an Actual SociopathEven with everything we know about the guy, the moment was still chilling.By Bess LevinLevin ReportWhite House: We’re Going to Have to Let Some People Die So the Stock Market Can Live“We’re gonna have to make some difficult trade-offs.”By Bess LeviniconGalleryFrom the MagazineInside Donald Trump’s Mar-a-LagoScenes from “the Winter White House.”11 slidesBy Vanity FairCultureWhen I Was 9, Lara Flynn Boyle Was My Father’s Sweetheart—and My Best FriendShe wasn’t a Twin Peaks star to me. She was the Mary Poppins of Mulholland Drive.By Lorraine NicholsonStyleBeware the Serial Squatter of Malibu’s Point DumeSure, let a neighbor use the guest room for a few nights. What could go wrong? A lot, as a series of unsuspecting Point Dume residents learned after one woman allegedly exploited California’s tenancy laws to turn casual stays into protracted eviction wars.By Bradley HopeTelevisionNew on Netflix: February 2025’s Best New Movies & ShowsThe SAG Awards stream on Netflix next month, as do new series starring Robert De Niro and Kate Hudson.By Chris MurphyPoliticsKarine Jean-Pierre, President Biden’s Barrier-Breaking Press Secretary, Reveals Some Truths About Her Job“I have kept details about my private life under lock and key,” she writes for Vanity Fair. “Society doesn’t allow women of color to be vulnerable at work.”By Karine Jean-PierreNewsElon Musk Sure Isn’t Denying That His Inaugural Gesture Was a Nazi SaluteThere’s an easy way to say “I wasn't Sieg heiling all my pals” on the world stage. Musk isn’t saying it. Silly libs!By Kase WickmanTelevisionBenito Skinner Has Nothing to HideHe spent his teen years concealing his sexuality. Now the social media star turned TV creator is mining that awkward time for art.By Rebecca FordCelebrityA$AP Rocky Acquitted of Shooting ChargesThe rapper’s children and their mother, Rihanna, looked on as a three-week trial highlighted a feud with an old friend.By Dan AdlerCelebrityElon Musk Has Yet Another Child, According to the Mother of That BabyAshley St. Clair claims she gave birth to the big DOGE’s baby five months ago, though he has yet to comment publicly. Now, she says, Musk is ghosting her.By Kase WickmanMoviesThe Brutalist’s Brady Corbet Says He’s “Made Zero Dollars” From His Last Two FilmsIn an interview with Marc Maron on the podcast WTF, Corbet shares that he has yet to see a cent from his Oscar-nominated film: “You’re not paid to be promoting a film.”By Chris MurphyFacebookXInstagramPinterestYouTubeMore from Vanity FairNewslettersSubscribeDigital EditionInside the IssueAbout Vanity FairFAQContactContact VFManage AccountAdvertisingCareersUser AgreementPrivacy PolicyYour California Privacy RightsCondé Nast StoreVF Media KitAccessibility Help© 2025 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Ad ChoicesCN EntertainmentSelect international siteUnited StatesLargeChevronItalySpainFrance
March 25, 2020