President Donald Trump and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo traded insults on Twitter, ramping up their attacks on each other over their efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.Â
The president kept the feud alive Tuesday morning, admonishing Democrat Cuomo to "keep politics out of" the coronavirus response.
Cuomo attacked first, during a phone conference with reporters Monday morning, when he said the federal government has been "behind from day one of this crisis." The administration's response to the deadly virus has been "inexcusable," Cuomo said.
Cuomo made his remarks before he announced that he and Govs. Phil Murphy of New Jersey and Ned Lamont of Connecticut had agreed to coordinate the closings of certain businesses and limit public gatherings to fewer than 50 people in their states.
"States, frankly, don't have the capacity or the power to make up for the federal government," Cuomo said, citing "a lack of federal direction and nationwide standards."
Trump, in the afternoon, responded on social media following a "very good tele-conference with Nation's Governors."
"Cuomo of New York has to 'do more,'" Trump said. It was not clear whom the president appeared to be quoting in the tweet. He later issued another version of the tweet that corrected a typo.
During the video conference Monday morning, Trump reportedly suggested that the governors work on their own to try to obtain breathing equipment needed for people diagnosed with the coronavirus.
"Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment – try getting it yourselves," Trump told the state leaders, The New York Times reported, citing a recording of the conference call.
"We will be backing you, but try getting it yourselves," Trump added, according to the Times. "Point of sales, much better, much more direct if you can get it yourself."
Shortly after the president's tweet, Cuomo hit back: "I have to do more? No — YOU have to do something! You're supposed to be the President."
On Tuesday morning, Trump took another swing at the New York governor.Â
"Cuomo wants 'all states to be treated the same.' But all states aren't the same," Trump wrote.Â
"Some are being hit hard by the Chinese Virus, some are being hit practically not at all. New York is a very big 'hotspot', West Virginia has, thus far, zero cases."
"Andrew, keep politics out of it," the president added.
It's not the first time the two have banged heads amid the nationwide efforts to rein in the spread of the coronavirus, which has been confirmed in more than 3,800 people in the U.S., killing 69, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Earlier in March, Trump lashed out at the governor after Cuomo complained in a television interview about the "mixed messages" coming from the Trump administration.
"There are no mixed messages, only political weaponization by people like you and your brother, Fredo!" Trump tweeted, referencing a comment made toward CNN broadcaster Chris Cuomo, the governor's brother, in a viral video.Â
The video showed Chris Cuomo in a heated exchange with a man he accused of derisively calling him "Fredo" — the weak brother in the Corleone family in "The Godfather" movies. Chris Cuomo called it a slur against Italians. Trump has since described the CNN anchor as Fredo on numerous occasions.
