Former CNN host Chris Cuomo said that he would be “open” to voting for former President Donald Trump over President Joe Biden in the 2024 election.
“And for people who are now going to attack me and say, what are you talking about? Trump is like this crazy man. Well, look, you know, as Patrick says, the data is the data. Nobody was trying to kill us when Trump was president in a way that they’re not now,” Mr. Cuomo told Patrick Bet-David, Adam Sosnick, Tom Ellsworth, and Vincent Oshana in a podcast interview.
“So you’re open to a Trump vote?” one of the hosts asked him.
Mr. Cuomo responded, “I am always open. And I’ll tell you this. People say ... ‘you’ve never voted for a Republican in your life.’ Wrong.” The former host said he has voted for a GOP candidate, saying that “the first vote I ever cast was for a Republican,” although he didn’t elaborate.
Currently, Mr. Cuomo works for NewsNation after he was suspended indefinitely by CNN in late 2021 over allegations that he helped defend his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, from sexual harassment allegations. He was fired by the company weeks later before joining NewsNation, which is owned by Nexstar Media Group.
After he departed CNN, Mr. Cuomo filed an arbitration claim seeking $125 million from CNN, claiming the firing was “unlawful.”
“It should be obvious by now that Chris Cuomo did not lie to CNN about helping his brother,” said his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, earlier this month. “In fact, as the limited information released from Warner Media’s investigation makes clear, CNN’s highest-level executives not only knew about Chris’ involvement in helping his brother but also actively assisted the governor, both through Chris and directly themselves.”
The two brothers’ close relationship was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic when Chris Cuomo would often interview then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo on his CNN program. The two would often engage in small talk and jokes, while critics accused the network of engaging in softball interviews with the former governor amid a scandal involving state nursing homes.
The former governor, who resigned in mid-2021, has denied the harassment claims. An investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, alleged that Chris Cuomo was helping his brother regarding messaging.
A separate internal CNN investigation into Mr. Cuomo also revealed the former CNN boss Jeff Zucker was involved in a years-long relationship with a top CNN marketing official, Allison Gollust. In 2022, Mr. Zucker exited his position and weeks later, Ms. Gollust resigned.
Meanwhile, Andrew Cuomo was sued for alleged sexual assault earlier this month by his former executive assistant Brittany Commisso, according to court papers.
The lawsuit filed against Mr. Cuomo as well as similar lawsuits recently filed against New York City Mayor Eric Adams and former President Donald Trump under a New York state law that spurred thousands of claims.
“I hope that Mayor Eric Adam’s [sic], Andrew Cuomo, and all of the others that got sued based on this ridiculous law where someone can be sued decades later, and with no proof, will fight it on being totally unfair and UNCONSTITUTIONAL,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday.
