DEMS/ELECTION/NEW YORK/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Few people, especially politicians, can stand to be insulted. But when it comes to barbs fired by President Trump, Mayor Bill de Blasio cannot seem to get enough of them. Treated as an afterthought among 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, Mr. de Blasio has embraced every affront from the president as an opportunity not just to fire back, but also to present himself as a capable antidote to Mr. Trump. The latest example came this week, after the president cited viral videos that showed police officers getting water dumped on their heads, and suggested that the mayor was to blame for creating a lawless environment in New York City. The president, Mr. de Blasio quickly replied on Thursday, ‘knows nothing about New York City at this point.’ Later that night, in an interview with BuzzFeed’s Ben Smith, Mr. de Blasio challenged Mr. Trump to a debate…Before he was an official candidate for president, Mr. de Blasio told voters in Iowa that Democrats would not win back the White House by focusing on Mr. Trump. He criticized Hillary Clinton, his former boss and Democratic nominee for president, for pursuing such a strategy.”
–Jeffery C. Mays, “Trump Attacks. De Blasio Strikes Back, and Hopes Voters Notice.,” The New York Times online, July 26, 2019