Gov. Cuomo hopped on his Harley Davidson Monday to lead roughly 600 other bikers on their annual 9/11 memorial ride through the streets of Manhattan.
Cuomo grinned and gave the thumbs up to the media who were following ahead of him as he and the rest of the motorcade roared southbound on the West Side Highway from the Javits Center to the 9/11 Museum.
Before they departed, Cuomo was introduced by “Goodfellas” actor Robert De Niro, who joked to the crowd of 9/11 first responders and victims’ relatives, “When they told me I was going to be addressing a motorcycle gang, I was expecting something like the Hell’s Angels.”
Earlier, Cuomo visited the Rescue One firehouse on W. 43rd Street.
“They drove right into the teeth of the dragon and they knew exactly where they were going and they knew exactly what they were doing … It was about honor, service and human integrity,” he said.
Cuomo, who’s rumored to be eyeing a presidential run, drew huge cheers as he added, “9/11 was the first shot in a war that goes on today and continues to go on. And yes, the enemy is the United States of America, but the enemy is even more: it’s freedom and democracy. And our enemy will never stop as long as America represents freedom and democracy, and America will never stop representing freedom and democracy.”
The Democrat signed into law legislation that grants free health care coverage to 9/11 first responders who get sick as a result of their rescue, recovery and clean-up efforts.
“We are not going to abandon the hundreds of thousands of workers who showed up at the recovery and cleanup of 9/11, who continue to get sick today 16 years later,” said Cuomo. “That’s the ongoing story of 9/11 – that it is still killing people who gave up themselves and made the sacrifice.
“Our message is simple: we will always have your back.”