Andrew Cuomo shares personal toll of pandemic in candid 'Daily Show' interview
In his first late night interview, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Wednesday told Trevor Noah about the personal toll of leading the response in the U.S. epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.
“You’re responsible for these lives,” “The Daily Show” host said. “What has that done for you as a person? How are you doing and how are you dealing with this?”
Cuomo said in his role conveying critical information, he also tries to share a personal element.
“Because this is traumatic, this is PTSD for an entire generation that will talk about this. And it is personal,” the governor said. “So I tried to communicate how I feel personally and my fear, and my anxiety, as part of this to say to you, ‘You’re not alone, everyone’s feeling this, I’m feeling it too.’”
Cuomo said the thing he struggles with most is the number of deaths in his state, where more than 263,000 infections and 19,000 fatalities have been recorded. New York City alone has confirmed more than 15,000 deaths.
“Fifteen thousand, Trevor. 9/11 ― 2,700 people ... That was supposed to be the worst experience of my life,” Cuomo said.
“This is 15,000 people. 474 people yesterday. That weighs heavily on me.”
He added:
And I still hold myself responsible, and I still say to myself, ‘What else could I do, what else could I do, what else could I do’ ... That is a very heavy burden to bear.
The governor also discussed balancing health and economic concerns, and his plan for the gradual reopening of businesses.
Watch the clip of Cuomo’s comments about the emotional toll below, followed by Parts 1 and 2 of his full interview with Noah.
%twitter-url="twitter.com/TheDailyShow/status/1253125615005433856" columns="1" hidemedia="No"
