New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ended his presidential campaign Friday, having failed to register in national or state polls for the sprawling Democratic primary, which still includes 19 candidates.
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, de Blasio said he felt like he had contributed all he could to the primary election, but that “it’s clearly not my time.”
We caught up with him in a series of text messages, in which he discussed his role as a Twitter punching bag — he “doesn’t hesitate to mix it up” with those he disagrees with and the “most skeptical press corps in the nation” — and what’s next on his agenda as mayor.
He also had thoughts about what his generation’s role should be in addressing the issues being pushed by the climate strikers who marched across the nation Friday. De Blasio said local governments have a responsibility to act with urgency, but he also thinks bureaucrats should “get the hell out of the way” and give youth-led movements “room to grow.”
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