Report Of De Blasio White House Run Draws Laughter, Horror

NEW YORK — If there were any doubts about Bill de Blasio's slim chances of a successful run for president, Twitter put them to rest. New Yorkers reacted with laughter and horror Monday night to news that the Democratic mayor was taking steps toward a potential White House bid.

De Blasio is plotting a trip to New Hampshire, a key presidential primary state, this week accompanied by City Hall aides with national political experience as he considers a 2020 run, Politico New York reported Monday.

A tweet with a link to the report garnered hundreds of incredulous replies that could be summed up by a post from Melissa Wood: "Nope. Nada. No thanks."

"He's been a rhetorically cool, in-practice zero Mayor & now that he'll be on the campaign trail nothing big will get done in NYC," Laurie Garrett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted Tuesday.

De Blasio will close a brief swing through New England later this week with a visit to Nashua and Concord, New Hampshire, where he will meet with political organizers and the former city's mayor, Mike Casca, the mayor's communications director, told Politico.

The trip will follow de Blasio's Thursday talk at Harvard's Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the mayor grew up.

"He wants to make sure ideas like pre-K for all, paid personal time and mental health are on the table as Democrats debate the party’s vision for the future," Casca told Politico in a statement. He did not respond to Patch's request for comment Tuesday morning.

The mayor has reportedly enlisted some of his staff to assist with his ambitions. Casca, a former staffer for Sen. Bernie Sanders, and de Blasio aide Jon Paul Lupo are helping with his early steps toward a presidential bid, Politico reported.

Mayoral spokeswoman Jaclyn Rothenberg, who worked on Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, is joining them on the New Hampshire trip, the story says.

De Blasio has been coy about a White House run of his own. He has declined to rule one out as a wide range of Democrats have entered the field. He rolled out a slate of policy plans last month that drew national attention, including mandatory paid vacation and expanded health care services for the uninsured.

But the news that he might actually enter the race drew ridicule and dismay on Twitter. Some people wondered whether he was actually running for president of a book club — or Burger King.

Others said he should focus on fixing the city's lingering problems, such as the beleaguered New York City Housing Authority and the crumbling subways. Some speculated about whether he would take the presidential airplane or helicopter to the Park Slope YMCA, where he does his morning workouts.

"Will he do less damage to NYC if he’s off campaigning?" wrote Arthur Tarley, a staffer for Everytown for Gun Safety, nonprofit founded by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg — another possible presidential candidate.

For some people, only GIFs could express the sheer absurdity of the mayor trying to ascend from the humble confines of City Hall.

The skepticism is not surprising given de Blasio's performance in a recent poll. Just 5 percent of New York State voters picked him when asked to who among five of New York's political stars would make the best president. Even U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — who isn't even old enough to run — did better with 7 percent.

A few Twitter users were less dubious about de Blasio's possible move toward higher office. But one said the mayor should step down if he wants to run.

"Do it full time. All in," Russell Drew tweeted. "Managing NYC -- which he has done ably for the most part -- is a full time job. That would make this month's race for Public Advocate all the more important!"

(Lead image: Bill de Blasio is seen on Jan. 4, 2019. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)