NEW YORK — Mayor Bill de  Blasio ripped Gov. Andrew Cuomo Thursday morning over comments the governor made about New York City during a press conference in which he discussed allegations of sexual harassment, including two from former staff members in his administration. 

Cuomo was “disrespectful to the people of New York City,” de Blasio said. 

“This city has been heroic, the people of this city have been heroic,” de Blasio said. “You would think any governor would support that and celebrate that, not denigrate that. But clearly he’s trying to distract attention from his own problems.”

Cuomo spoke Wednesday for the first time since the sexual harassment scandal broke, and as he faces questions over his administration’s misreporting of thousands of nursing home resident deaths tied to COVID-19. At the press conference Wednesday, Cuomo said that New York City is “teetering.” 

“Crime is way up. Homelessness is way up. Many people have left New York City,” Cuomo said. “We have to get New York City functional again, and safe again, and viable again.”

De Blasio compared Cuomo’s comments to the kinds of statements made by former President Donald Trump, a born and bred New Yorker who often made denigrating comments about the city while in office.

“That's what Donald Trump would have done, throw out some sharp terminologies and gaudy pictures of what's happening that don't represent the reality,” de Blasio said. 

Indeed, much of de Blasio’s press conference was given over to a presentation on public safety, with the mayor and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea highlighting decreasing crime numbers and expanded efforts to reduce gun violence. 

Shea said that gun arrests increased 60% year-to-date over 2020, and that traffic crimes are down nearly 60% for the same period. (Recent subway ridership data shows drops of nearly 70% over the same day one year ago.)

Shea also said that the city will be expanding on the controversial ShotSpotter technology to use microphones placed around the city to listen for gunshot noises. NYPD officials have credited the technology with increasing residents’ willingness to call 911 when they hear gunfire.

Bill Neidhardt, the mayor’s press secretary, wrote on Twitter that the press conference on crime statistics had been planned “all week,” but that the statistics “do show just how wrong the Governor was yesterday.”

De Blasio also said he did not think Cuomo’s apology at the Wednesday press conference was an adequate mea culpa.

"I don't think it changes anything," the mayor said. 

“The bottom line is, we can't move forward if there isn't full honesty about what happened, and a full acknowledgment of the suffering that has been caused,” he added. “And we’re nowhere close to that at this point.”

In response to questions from reporters, de Blasio insisted that Cuomo should restore local control to cities like New York City in order to remain an effective executive, and said he has experienced the bullying style of government that Cuomo’s office is infamous for, including his office demanding that de Blasio fire certain city employees.

“He doesn't say, ‘How do we work together to solve the issues of homelessness?’” de Blasio said. “It’s always something about what he needs. This should be about the people, about what the people need.”

He also defended his own management style, after a question citing reports that former staffers have accused de Blasio of harsh tactics when responding to their ideas. Emails released under court order from a lawsuit brought by NY1 have shown him to be quick to criticize his aides.   

De Blasio said he purposefully puts “people through the paces” when testing out new policy ideas, and credited that approach with his administration’s accomplishments, including rolling out universal Pre-K. 

“That should be an exacting process,” he said. “I submit to you that the leadership approach I use gets things done.”