CHICAGO – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul embarrassingly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as the “first president of the United States” in her speech to delegates at the Democratic National Convention Monday — before blasting former President Donald Trump as a “philanderer” and “felon.”
“Are you ready to elect the first president of the United States?” Hochul, 65, began her remarks.
The Empire State leader then argued that Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, share the values that define New Yorkers, namely, “grit,” “determination” and “compassion” — while Trump, who was born in Queens, does not.
“Donald Trump was born a New Yorker but ended up a fraud, a philanderer, and a felon,” the Democratic governor said in her remarks at the United Center on the opening night of the Democratic gathering.
“He wasn’t raised with the New York values I know,” Hochul charged. “He never had to worry about childcare costs, groceries or rent. He never had to worry about anything – or anyone – but himself.”
“Trust me, America, if you think you’re tired of Donald Trump … talk to a New Yorker,” she added. “We’ve dealt with him for 78 long years.”
“And New Yorkers are sick of it.”
Hochul then attempted to make a joke about Trump moving to Florida upon leaving the White House.
“So it’s no wonder he had to flee to Mar-a-Lago … Sorry about that, Florida,” she quipped, to muted applause and laughs.
“Trump hasn’t spent much time in New York lately, except to be convicted of 34 felonies,” Hochul continued, referencing the guilty verdict in his Manhattan hush money trial earlier this year.
“And that’s just fine with us. Because New York’s motto is: Excelsior: Ever upward. And Trump takes us ever downward,” she said.
New York GOP Chair Ed Cox released a statement ahead of Hochul’s appearance at the DNC, which accused the governor of running the Empire State into the ground.
“Under Kathy Hochul and one-party Democrat rule, New York is the highest taxed, least business-friendly state in the nation,” Cox wrote.
Follow along with The Post’s live reporting of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
“Crime is on the rise across the state thanks to radical Democrat DAs and an illegal migrant crisis that Kathy Hochul and ‘Border Czar’ Kamala Harris have allowed to spiral utterly out of control,” he continued.
“Productive citizens are voting with their feet as New York continues to lead the nation in outmigration. Kathy Hochul’s New York is a disaster and a cautionary tale for what failed governance looks like in this crucial election year.”
