On Monday, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer spoke with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper about the recent death of his 86-year-old mother, Arlene Stringer-Cuevas, due to complications with coronavirus. Stringer said, “I’ve got to tell you, Donald Trump has blood on his hands and he has my mom’s blood on his hands.”
Stringer-Cuevas was a grandmother, a former teacher of English and English as a second language in the Bronx and was the first woman to represent Washington Heights as a Democratic New York City Councilperson in the late ’70s.
Stringer said of his mother, “She was a New York original. She was somebody who raised two boys as a single parent… She was tough and she loved the city, and she believed in government, and she raised us to believe in government.”
Stringer then said Trump had “blood on his hands” for the death of his mother and for other families whose members have died due to coronavirus.
Markwayne Mullin confirmed as DHS secretary with support from 2 Democrats
Mullin confirmed as DHS chief as lawmakers near solution on shutdown standoff
Duffy, Hochul, Mamdani come together after LaGuardia plane crash: ‘Politics fade away’
Top House Dem dismisses probe into Jasmine Crockett’s security guard killed in SWAT standoff
Supreme Court May Be Poised to Strike Down Acceptance of Mail-In Ballots After Election Day, Following Oral Argument Comments
All shook up: Surreal scenes as Trump tours Graceland, musing if he could fight Elvis
Top Dems assert there’s risk ICE agents could ‘kill’ travelers under Trump airport plan
DNC’s suggestive post about Mamdani’s pothole blitz leaves social media speechless: ‘Wtf is this???’
Jewish Ambulance Service Had Its Vehicles Set on Fire, Triggering Hate-Crime Probe by Police: Report
Underperforming California school district paying enormous sum to teach kids with a ‘rap curriculum’
London police investigating Iran ties to Jewish ambulance arson after terrorist group claims responsibility
Ex-girlfriend, 3 others nabbed in killing tied to alleged murder-for-hire plot in ‘unusual’ case: police
Christian Preacher Scores Big Win for Religious Liberty After Liberal Supreme Court Justice Authors Surprising Opinion
Smithsonian unveils ‘Our Shared Future’ programming for America’s 250 celebrations
BREAKING: At Least 13 Airports Will Receive ICE Agents to Help with TSA Shortage
“[Trump] sent us that hospital [ship] that’s right here in the Manhattan harbor,” Stringer said, “and no one can get on that hospital, which is something that is just outrageous, and so it’s very tough to mourn under these circumstances.”
Stringer was referring to the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort which, as of last week, had admitted only 20 patients despite having a capacity for 1,000, according to The New York Times.
The ship was originally meant as an overflow facility for non-coronavirus patients, but it began admitting patients with coronavirus on Friday, April 3. Patients are only allowed aboard after getting a lengthy evaluation at a hospital first and then being transported to the ship by a hospital vehicle. The ship also disseminated to local hospitals a list of 49 medical conditions that prohibit patients from being allowed on board.
String isn’t the only political figure to criticize Trump’s handline of the coronavirus. It has also been criticized as “pretty deadly” by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and as “pretty confusing” by Maryland’s Republican Governor Larry Hogan.
“I think we all are [angry],” Stringer told Cooper. “I mean, government is supposed to protect our people and we’re supposed to be able to protect our parents and grandparents the way they protected us, and we’re not able to do that.”
“The thing I struggle with most is,” Stringer continued, “how do you mourn at a time when you can’t connect with people? There can’t be a funeral. There can’t be a traditional shiva. There’s no way to reach out to my stepfather and see him personally because he’s quarantined. My little kids can’t say goodbye to their grandma.”
Markwayne Mullin confirmed as DHS secretary with support from 2 Democrats
Mullin confirmed as DHS chief as lawmakers near solution on shutdown standoff
Duffy, Hochul, Mamdani come together after LaGuardia plane crash: ‘Politics fade away’
Top House Dem dismisses probe into Jasmine Crockett’s security guard killed in SWAT standoff
Supreme Court May Be Poised to Strike Down Acceptance of Mail-In Ballots After Election Day, Following Oral Argument Comments
All shook up: Surreal scenes as Trump tours Graceland, musing if he could fight Elvis
Top Dems assert there’s risk ICE agents could ‘kill’ travelers under Trump airport plan
DNC’s suggestive post about Mamdani’s pothole blitz leaves social media speechless: ‘Wtf is this???’
Jewish Ambulance Service Had Its Vehicles Set on Fire, Triggering Hate-Crime Probe by Police: Report
Underperforming California school district paying enormous sum to teach kids with a ‘rap curriculum’
London police investigating Iran ties to Jewish ambulance arson after terrorist group claims responsibility
Ex-girlfriend, 3 others nabbed in killing tied to alleged murder-for-hire plot in ‘unusual’ case: police
Christian Preacher Scores Big Win for Religious Liberty After Liberal Supreme Court Justice Authors Surprising Opinion
Smithsonian unveils ‘Our Shared Future’ programming for America’s 250 celebrations
BREAKING: At Least 13 Airports Will Receive ICE Agents to Help with TSA Shortage
Cemeteries, religious institutions and the funeral industry have all grappled with changes to funerals at this time, especially since government orders overseeing gatherings vary by state, travel is discouraged and mourners are encouraged to keep their distance from both the deceased and each other.
Newsweek has reached out to Stringer for additional comment. He had not yet responded at the time of publication.
In a Twitter post from the morning of April 3, Stringer wrote, “My mom showed me at an early age the importance and the great challenge of public service…. If there is any silver lining it’s that her memory—and the example she set for so many people—will be a legacy that lives on.”
Story cited here.
