Governor Cuomo Says America 'Was Never That Great,' Later Clarifies 'America Is Great'

Governor Cuomo at Wednesday's event

Governor Andrew Cuomo usually reserves his most bewildering syntax for describing his relationship with the MTA, but on Wednesday his attempts to critique President Trump ended in a pointless debate about American "greatness."

Cuomo was in the Lower East Side to sign a bill that makes sex trafficking a felony in New York. That's when the founder of the Women's Equality Party began referencing Trump's campaign slogan.

"We're not gonna 'Make America Great Again.' It was never that great," the governor said, to howls of recognition.

Was Cuomo about to take a nuanced position about race and gender in America, one that might appeal to the supporters of his challenger, Cynthia Nixon?

Kind of!

"We have not reached greatness," Cuomo said, dragging out that ssssssss, as if to give himself extra time to think about how he was going to land this.

We will reach greatness when every American is fully engaged. We will reach greatness when discrimination and stereotyping against women, 51 percent of our population, is gone, and every woman's full potential is realized, and unleashed. And every woman is making her full contribution. When that happens this nation is going to be taken even higher. Because we have not yet fully liberated the women in this country. And we will. And New York will, and watch New York rise. Thank you and God bless you!

This isn't "room full of women" bad, or "Jewish people can't dance" bad, but it's half-baked enough to let Cuomo's Republican opponent, Marc Molinaro, turn the governor's comments into an apple pie-chugging contest.

Later, Cuomo's press secretary, Dani Lever, clarified that what the governor meant was that America WAS great, always been great, it just needs to be Greaterer:

Governor Cuomo disagrees with the President. The Governor believes America is great and that her full greatness will be fully realized when every man, woman, and child has full equality. America has not yet reached its maximum potential.

"When the President speaks about making America great again - going back in time - he ignores the pain so many endured and that we suffered from slavery, discrimination, segregation, sexism and marginalized women's contributions. The Governor believes that when everyone is fully included and everyone is contributing to their maximum potential, that is when America will achieve maximum greatness.

The gubernatorial race may achieve maximum greatness on August 29, when Cuomo and Nixon will face off in a televised debate.

A little after 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Governor Cuomo presumably got what he wanted out of this exchange: