The New York Post has again taken aim at one of its favorite targets ― New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ― in an especially searing front page: an obituary for his presidential campaign.
The cover of the newspaper’s Saturday edition features a farewell to de Blasio’s Democratic bid, declaring it “dead of ego-induced psychosis” after he called off the run during a Friday MSNBC appearance.
“Neighbors said the body had been in rigor mortis for some time,” the Post wrote. “It died doing what it loved best ― being as far away from New York City as possible. It was surrounded in the end by friends, MSNBC hosts. It’s in a better place now ― a Park Slope gym.”
Announcing his dropout, the mayor conceded, “It’s clearly not my time.” He said he would return his full focus to his mayoral duties (he was elected to a second four-year term in November 2017).
The Post offered a sardonic overview of his longshot White House campaign, which began in May.
“Whether it was in the empty churches of South Carolina, the sun-kissed empty deserts of Nevada or begging someone, anyone, to talk to de Blasio at the Iowa State Fair, the campaign always gave 100% ― and always polled at 1%,” the paper said. ”‘Can’t’ was never part of its vocabulary. Neither was ‘won’t,’ ‘please stop,’ or ‘this is a dumb idea.’”
In a CNN poll released last month, de Blasio had actually polled below 1%, being buried by more than a dozen other hopefuls in a field that consistently has been led by former Vice President Joe Biden.
Asked about what the polls have shown in a CNN interview just before he exited the race, de Blasio downplayed their significance and gauged the nomination race as still up in the air.
He said has not seen “a sense among Democratic voters that they are secure in where they want to go.”
He added: “The vast majority of Democratic voters are going to make their decision late.”