ALBANY - Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday said he expects Democrats will have a "viable candidate" against President Donald Trump in 2020.
Just don't expect it to be him.
The Democratic governor who won a third term this month again ruled out running for president, saying on WNYC radio that he's focused on New York.
"I am ruling it out," Cuomo said in response to host Brian Lehrer's question about 2020. "I ran for governor. I have a full plate. I have many projects. I am going to be here doing the job of governor."
Unlike Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand who vowed to fulfill her six-year term as senator and then after being re-elected talked about mulling a presidential run, Cuomo has been steadfast he is not considering it.
"Nothing has changed in my calculus," he said Tuesday.
Who to pick?
That didn't stop Cuomo for outlining the type of Democratic candidate who he thinks could beat Trump — so much so that Lehrer questioned whether Cuomo was talking about himself.
Cuomo said he wasn't. During a Democratic primary debate in August, Cuomo said he wouldn't serve his four-year term only "if God strikes me dead."
On Tuesday he said, "I have my own expectation of what candidate the Democratic Party needs to win. And I think you’ll see a viable candidate in the Democratic field."
He added, "It’s not going to be enough to be anti-Trump. We need a candidate who brings credibility and experience to the job and can connect to the people we’ve lost as Democrats."
While Cuomo talked about the Republican president, he is also expected to meet with Trump on Wednesday in Washington D.C.
Headed to Washington
Cuomo said he has tentative plans to be in the nation's capital to meet with Trump and U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to discuss the $20 billion Gateway tunnel project between New York City and New Jersey.
Cuomo said the tunnel under the Hudson River is desperately needed, but requires federal funding. Trump, Cuomo said, backed out of a deal with the Obama administration to help fund the project.
He met in September 2017 in Washington with federal officials and then-Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey to discuss the project.
Initially, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey agreed to pay 50 percent of the project with user fees, while the federal government, based on an agreement with the Obama administration, would pay 50 percent.
But that deal was scrapped under Trump.
"That is an imminent, pressing need that strips away ideology and partisanship," Cuomo said.
"If the tunnel becomes dangerous, you affect the entire Northeast, you affect New York City, you affect New Jersey, and this should just be one of the things that government finds a way to do, despite the toxic political atmosphere."