New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Promises Lawsuit Over Donald Trump COVID Vaccine Threat

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and President Donald Trump have butted heads throughout the coronavirus pandemic and their feud has come to a boiling point in regards to the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine. With a vaccine potentially on the way before the end of 2020, Cuomo announced that he will have whatever is pushed through by Trump studied by his own scientific panel before it gets distributed to New Yorkers.

After hearing this, Trump fired back that he would not send any of the vaccine towards the Empire State, instead cutting them off because of what he perceives to be a challenge by their governor. Cuomo grew irate after Trump’s latest threat, countering on Sunday that he would take it to the courts if the president follows through and does not include New York when a vaccine is eventually shipped across the country. According to the New York Post, Cuomo said he will “enforce our legal rights” if the president does not “provide an equitable vaccine process.” Reminding everyone that he will stand up for them, Cuomo added that won’t let his people “be bullied or abused” by Trump.

The two have been at one another on multiple occasions since the pandemic began and even more so since Cuomo shared in September that he and his team would conduct their own review of the vaccine prior to New Yorkers receiving it. Cuomo noted that seven other states are planning on doing the same thing but because of his history with Trump, the president is only targeting New York with his threat. “We will fight to make sure every life is protected equally because enough people have died and enough injustice has been done during COVID,” Cuomo said on Sunday according to CBS News.

Once the epicenter of the coronavirus, New York has found itself continuing to produce a high number of daily cases, reporting 3,649 positives on Sunday with 30 fatalities, though the number is nowhere near its peak in March and April. Across the country, however, the majority of states are dealing with record numbers as the United States has reported more than 100,000 cases for nearly a week consecutively, including a peak of more than 181,000 on Friday.