At a press briefing Monday afternoon, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled a new tone-deaf poster showcasing the stages that New Yorkers faced during the pandemic, which unsurprisingly received a great deal of backlash from the public.
The poster titled "New York Tough" features an odd array of cartoon images Cuomo believes to represent the state's response to the novel coronavirus. These include a zoom shot of someone getting a COVID-19 test through their nose, President Trump sitting on the moon, an octopus holding a cruise ship, and a monster in the sky carrying "winds of fear," among other strange imagery.
There are also numerous phrases sprawled about the artwork. According to Cuomo New Yorkers experience "111 Days of Hell," "Economy Falls," "The Power of We," and something referred to as a "Boyfriend Cliff."
He also provides a warning to the country: "Wake up America! Forget the Politics, Get Smart!"
#NewYorkTough pic.twitter.com/jGIEMMxBLu
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) July 13, 2020
What's the best part of Cuomo's new masterpiece? There's a fee if you want your own individual copy. New York State is charging $14.50 plus shipping and handling to order a copy of his work. While the agency claims to not be profiting off the posters, the unusual price for something that looked like it was designed by a 10-year-old makes one wonder if that's the case.
The poster is bizarre to say the least, and given New York's fragile state, the stunt is in bad taste. New York still stands as the state with the highest infection and the highest mortality rate with over 32,000 deaths, and more than 6,000 of these deaths taking place in nursing homes. There has also been a violent uptick in crime over the course of the past month to civil unrest from the Black Lives Matter movement and calls to defund the police.
At his press conference, Cuomo brushed off the crime stating that "there are a number of contributing factors" that have to do with the rise in crime. He also said that Trump's handling of COVID-19 made "Nixon look innocent."
Many people took to Twitter to slam Cuomo for the misguided effort of releasing a poster.
Fox News Meteorologist Janice Dean, who lost both in-laws to COVID-19 due to nursing home outbreaks, minced no words writing a series of tweets showing her dismay in the governor's latest publicity stunt.
"Seriously how much of an ego maniac do you have to be to make a poster of yourself while 30,000 New Yorkers died on your watch?" she tweeted. "Thousands of those were seniors. Every day I’m more grossed out by @NYGovCuomo. It’s really quite something."
Seriously how much of an ego maniac do you have to be to make a poster of yourself while 30,000 New Yorkers died on your watch? Thousands of those were seniors. Every day I’m more grossed out by @NYGovCuomo. It’s really quite something.
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) July 14, 2020
"You can now pre-order Gov. Cuomo's "New York Tough" COVID poster here for $14.50 plus shipping and handling," tweeted Fox News Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich. "Not included: mention of 32k deaths in the state or failure to protect nursing home residents... but the boyfriend cliff is immortalized."
You can now pre-order Gov. Cuomo's "New York Tough" COVID poster here for $14.50 plus shipping and handling. Not included: mention of 32k deaths in the state or failure to protect nursing home residents... but the boyfriend cliff is immortalized https://t.co/mqxeCwdxaO
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) July 14, 2020
"Andrew Cuomo is high on his own farts," tweeted Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro. "And the media are high off his farts as well."
Andrew Cuomo is high on his own farts. And the media are high off his farts as well. pic.twitter.com/hHJ6Kzklm1
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 14, 2020
Some celebrities viewed Cuomo's poster as amusing. "Omg I thought we like the boyfriend," tweeted reality show host Chrissy Teigen in response to a man holding onto a ledge in what Cuomo referred to as the "Boyfriend Cliff."
"We do like the boyfriend," replied Cuomo. "All boyfriends face a steep climb."
We do like the boyfriend. All boyfriends face a steep climb. https://t.co/y7HBhnxcrx
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) July 13, 2020
Cuomo also made an appearance via Zoom on "The Tonight Show's" first show back in the studio. Host Jimmy Fallon gushed about Cuomo's current poster and his past history in the hobby.
"It's beautifully drawn," said Fallon.
Fallon also asked the New York governor what "phase of dating" he was in.
Cuomo and his celebrity friends are clearly out of touch with the reality that many Americans have suffered irreplaceable loss during the pandemic, and this poster is just a slap in the face to any New Yorker having dealt with and still experiencing grief stemming from the virus.