New York City mayor Bill de Blasio only worked seven hours at City Hall during the month of May when he launched his presidential campaign, according to a new report.
De Blasio, who joined the crowded Democratic primary in May, showed up to his office six times in that month, where he attended two meetings, four events, and took five calls, according to the New York Post. One of the phone calls was his weekly appearance on WNYC radio.
In May 2018, de Blasio had 50 meetings and 152 city events scheduled, but his schedule in May 2019 amounted to 11 appointments and 7 hours of work, prompting a former aide to say his disappearance from his duties as mayor was troubling.
"If he’s trying to show New Yorkers that he’s over doing the job, he’s doing a good job of it," the ex-aide said.
Another former de Blasio insider told the Post his performance as mayor is "real bad." The source added, "At this point, you’ve got to wonder how much of his heart is really in it."
De Blasio's spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein pushed back against the Post's report by saying, "Whether at City Hall, Gracie Mansion or on the road, the mayor consistently delivers for 8.6 million New Yorkers."
De Blasio and first lady Chirlane McCray appeared on ABC's Good Morning America on May 16 to kick off his campaign launch, which prompted backlash from the Police Benevolent Association and Black Lives Matter, according to the Post.
Despite repeatedly appearing optimistic about his chances at winning the Democratic primary, de Blasio has not received positive headlines about his campaign. Last week, his CNN town hall failed to attract half a million viewers and one of his recent Iowa events only had 15 people in attendance. Earlier this summer, parts of New York City experienced blackouts while de Blasio was campaigning in Iowa. He was criticized for not coming back to the city during the crisis.
His own spokesman even said in early August he doesn't like his job as mayor and insinuated he was running for president to get away from New York City.