Donald Trump is wasting our time. He won’t wind up running for governor because he’d lose, and by an embarrassingly wide margin. Trump knows that; it’s what the polls say and he isn’t delusional — he’s a showman playing a character. He’s looking for some headlines because that’s his MO.
But New York doesn’t have time for Trump’s circus act. The state’s economy is in horrible shape. His grandstanding must take a back seat.
Trump has already gotten the pundits to talk about him. He’s had his ego stroked by politicos telling him, “Yes Mr. Trump, you’d make a great governor.” He could walk away right now, like he always does.
Except he isn’t going away yet. Trump is promising to stick around until the Republican convention in May. And while he’s dragging this out, he’s spending more time taking swipes at Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and Republican Party Chair Ed Cox than he is throwing criticism Gov. Cuomo’s way.
On top of that, he wants a promise from Republicans that he won’t face a primary. Sorry: That’s not how our system works. Voters pick the candidates; a celebrity doesn’t get to simply demand that he be the nominee.
Voters don’t want Trump, anyway. In the latest Quinnipiac poll, the exceptionally well-known Trump gets just 26 percent. Cuomo gets a 5-point boost with Trump as the GOP candidate as compared with Astorino. In short, undecided voters become Cuomo voters when Trump is on the ballot.
Trump has universal “name ID” — but lots and lots of voters don’t like him. He’d drag other Republicans down with him. If he’s on the ticket, don’t expect Republicans to pick up state Senate seats; they’d be more likely to lose them. It’d be bad news for Republican House candidates, too.
With The Donald as a candidate, the campaign would be all about Trump and his significant baggage. We’d have to revisit his birther claims, and his bankruptcies — as well as his Trump University program, which state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating. (I have no idea if Schneiderman has a case — but I doubt the merits would matter if Trump were the GOP nominee.)
The fall campaign should be about New York’s dire economic straits, not Trump’s embarrassing past.
Astorino, on the other hand, is a proven winner. He beat an incumbent to become Westchester executive in 2009 and won re-election handily this past November in a county where Democrats outnumber Republicans by 2 to 1. He earned 60 percent of the Hispanic vote and 25 percent of the African-American vote. Astorino wrote the book on how conservative Republicans can win in blue states.
Astorino has cut the cost of government in Westchester. He required nonunion county employees to start contributing to their health insurance and persuaded the unions to follow suit. This and other reforms allowed Astornio to cut spending in Westchester.
New York needs a governor ready to deal with the public-sector unions, one who can cut Albany’s out-of-control spending. We’ve seen Astorino do that in Westchester. We need that kind of leadership in Albany.
Astorino has real accomplishments in government. He knows how to campaign and govern. Trump is a real-estate mogul turned reality-TV star.
New York is in bad shape. We regularly sit at the bottom of the lists for state business climates. Out-of-control taxes and regulations are driving up the cost of living. Families, seniors and young people are fleeing the state.
We have real problems. We need this campaign to be about them, and about Cuomo’s record — including his record of not addressing many of these problems. Trump’s antics distract from that important conversation and from a candidate like Astorino who has answers.
Trump needs to expedite his inevitable decision not to run because Astorino is a real candidate. He’s had his fun; if he sticks around, he’ll be nothing more than a useful idiot for Cuomo, nipping at Astorino, offering no substance and dividing the GOP.
Assemblyman Kieran Michael Lalor (R) represents Dutchess County.