New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a potential candidate for the presidency in 2020, damaged himself politically with his comment during a Manhattan event that "America was never great," conservative political strategist Jeffrey Lord told Newsmax TV Friday.
"When you run for president, you've got to be careful about these moments," Lord told "Newsmax Now" host John Bachman.
Important: Newsmax TV is available on DIRECTV Ch. 349, U-Verse 1220, DISH 216 and Fios 615. If your cable operator doesn’t have Newsmax TV just call and ask them to put us on – Call toll-free 1-844-500-6397 and we’ll connect you right away to your cable operator! For more places to Find Newsmax TV – Click Here Now
On Wednesday, the Democratic governor poked fun at President Donald Trump's campaign slogan "Make America Great Again."
"We're not going to make America great again — it was never that great," Cuomo told the audience. "We have not reached greatness. We will reach greatness when every American is fully engaged."
The governor apologized on Friday, saying he had been "inartful" and that "America is great and of course America has always been great."
Lord remembered when Mitt Romney's father, George, ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 1968 and was a frontrunner until he said he'd been to Vietnam and he had been "brainwashed."
"He sank like a stone after that," said Lord. "I think that Gov. Cuomo has damaged himself here. I think he recognizes that."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.