New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for unity in his Monday press briefing after President Donald Trump criticized him earlier in the morning in a phone interview on "Fox & Friends."

As Trump weighed in on Cuomo's boosted approval rating — 87%, according to a new Siena poll — he said, "One of the reasons he's successful is because we've helped make him successful."

On Sunday, Trump accused New York hospitals of hoarding ventilators and other medical equipment.

"I'm not going to engage in politics, not because I'm unwilling to tangle, but because I think it's inappropriate, and I think it's counterproductive, and I think it's anti-American," Cuomo said when asked about Trump's comments.

Trump and Cuomo have clashed over the federal government's inability to get New York up to 30,000 ventilators.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo took the high road during his Monday press briefing after President Donald Trump continued to take swipes at him and other governors through the weekend and on Monday morning.

Cuomo and Trump have tangled over their divergent assessments of the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, with Cuomo calling on Trump to enforce the Defense Production Act to get the Empire State up to 30,000 ventilators and Trump chafing at governors for enacting safety measures that he believes slow the economy.

On a Monday morning call on "Fox & Friends," Trump took partial credit for Cuomo's approval-rating boost, which hit 87% among New York respondents in a new Siena poll.

"One of the reasons his numbers are high on handling it is because of the federal government," Trump said in a live phone interview. "Because we give him ships, and we give him ventilators, and we give him all of the things that we're giving him."

He added: "One of the reasons he's successful is because we've helped make him successful."

Trump escalated his attacks on Democratic governors through last week and over the weekend. REUTERS/Al Drago

After Cuomo greeted the USNS Comfort hospital ship at Manhattan's Pier 90 on Monday morning, he addressed Trump's jabs during a press briefing at the Javits Center, which is being converted into a hospital.

Cuomo said he took Trump's approval-rating comments as a "compliment" and called for unity in the face of the pandemic.

"I'm not going to engage in politics, not because I'm unwilling to tangle, but because I think it's inappropriate, and I think it's counterproductive, and I think it's anti-American," Cuomo said.

"Forget the politics," he added. "We have a national crisis. We are at war. There is no politics. There is red, white, and blue."

Source: Business Insider

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