Comedian Jim Gaffigan Defends Pandemic Leadership of de Blasio, Cuomo: 'At Least They Had Good Intentions'

Even as the most stalwart Democrats distance themselves from their legacies, comedian Jim Gaffigan is defending former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), claiming that despite their deficiencies during the pandemic, “at least they had good intentions.”

In a wide-ranging interview with The Daily Beast, Gaffigan failed to mention the state’s tragic nursing home mandate that fueled the spread of the coronavirus among the elderly population, killing thousands. He also omitted any reference to New York City’s disastrous lockdowns and vaccine mandates, which have damaged the city’s economy. He said the real culprit for the pandemic was former President Donald Trump.

The Daily Beast didn’t challenge Gaffigan’s defense of de Blasio and Cuomo, providing the Hollywood star with a platform to begin rehabilitating the politicians’ legacies.

“We’re in this day and age where here we are talking about de Blasio and the Cuomos, and Gavin Newsom who was one of the stars, but we’ve almost been at this game so long that we’re distracted from the true crisis of the whole pandemic, which was Trump,” Jim Gaffigan said.

“Look, Cuomo and de Blasio, do they have egos? Yes. But at least they had good intentions.”

Jim Gaffigan presents the award for best comedy series at the 23rd annual Critics’ Choice Awards at the Barker Hangar. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Cuomo and de Blasio fought bitterly during the pandemic’s early months, with de Blasio calling for Cuomo to resign  over the governor’s nursing home and the sex harassment scandals.

“He should resign,” de Blasio told MSNBC last year. “I’ve been saying this for months. He can’t continue to lead. Nursing home scandal, sexual harassment and assault scandal, using his staff to write his book, I mean, it’s just — it doesn’t end. He just has to go.”

Cuomo authored a book last year titled American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic, in which he bragged about his leadership during the pandemic. But a New York state ethics commission later ordered Cuomo to  repay more than $5 million he received to write the book.

Disgraced New York governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled a coronavirus-themed poster, titled “New York Tough.” (Screenshot)

De Blasio himself faced blowback for his vaccine mandates, which were among the most severe in the country. On his way out of office last month, the mayor even instituted another mandate, making the coronavirus vaccine a requirement for all private sector employees starting December 27.

New York City also experienced some of the strictest lockdowns during the first year of the pandemic. Numerous small businesses were forced to close as a result of the mayor’s decision.

Gaffigan infamously experienced a social media meltdown in 2020 following the Republican National Convention, warning of an economic apocalypse if Trump were to win re-election, while also calling the president a “con man” and “rapist.”

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