Governor Cuomo says it’s a “sign of respect” for New York that he’s been asked to speak on the final night of the Democratic National Convention. He says he plans to mention his father Mario Cuomo, the former Governor who gave the memorable Tale of Two Cities speech at the 1984 convention. Andrew Cuomo says it’s the first national convention that he’s attended without his father. Mario Cuomo died on New Year’s Day in 2015.
And Cuomo says he plans to touch on the larger theme of the two conventions, fear versus hope.
“Make no mistake, fear is powerful, and hate is powerful,” said Cuomo, who said Republicans are trying to “fan the flames” of those emotions.
He says Democrats are doing the “exact opposite”.
“The differences aren’t a weakness, don’t be afraid,” Cuomo said. “That’s our strength, that’s our diversity.”
Cuomo says the slogan “Make America Great Again” is code for the nation before a diversity of immigrants came here over the past few decades.
The exact time of Cuomo's speech is yet to be determined.