Audio & Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo is a Guest on MSNBC's the Reid Out With Joy Reid

Earlier today, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo was a guest on MSNBC's The Reid Out with Joy Reid.

AUDIO is available here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's interview is available below:

Joy Reid: In the last hour, meanwhile, Donald Trump tweeted Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York wants to put New York at the end of the vaccine list and that he doesn't trust the FDA or federal government, even though the vaccines are being developed by the finest labs in the world. He should have trusted us on nursing homes.

I'm joined now by Governor Andrew Cuomo. A surprise call-in this evening. Governor Cuomo, do you take that as a threat? Is Donald Trump saying that somehow he could withhold a vaccine from the State of New York?

Governor Cuomo: Good evening, Joy. Yeah that's called a threat. That's called I will put New York at the end of the list. That's what he's trying to say. Look, I don't trust the President and I don't trust the FDA. The doctor who you just had on your show was exactly right. They have lied about COVID from day one. They lied in January when Peter Navarro had the memo saying 2 to 3 million people would get infected and they denied it.

They denied COVID was here. They're denying it now. The doctor is exactly right, Joy. They're actually doing fewer tests. Florida now does fewer tests than they did 2 months ago. This is the Trump doctrine. Do fewer tests so you will show fewer cases. Remember he said if you test less, we'll have fewer cases. That's what he's doing.

The vaccine, he said yesterday, that the FDA was being political in saying that they actually wanted to review the vaccine. So yeah, the American people don't trust the FDA. They shouldn't. Trump has politicized this entire situation. He's overridden health and science with politics.

Joy Reid: We're looking right now at one of these super spreader rallies and he's doing them all over - he's kind of like Typhoid Trumpy - going from state to state with these super spreaders. Florida has a larger population and an older population than New York. In New York you were out sounding the alarm on TV every day saying this is what we're doing, this is the risk, this is what we need.

What do you make of another governor, a fellow governor, who was behind New York on the calendar in terms of blasting that state and who knew the risks because you were on TV saying them? Making the choice to reopen Disney World or to reopen bars, to reopen restaurants and without thinking. What do you make of a governor who would do that to his own people?

Governor Cuomo: Joy, when we look back at this, it is reprehensible. You are so right. We went through this in New York back in March. Remember what happened in New York - that's where COVID ambushed us because it came from Europe while everybody, the President, was still talking about China. We had two weeks to get ready, we had to scramble. We did reopen the economy, but we did it with testing. Our economy has been open, but we have an infection rate that's one of the lowest in the nation. It was never a choice of either or and these other states had months to get ready.

They listened, some of them, listened to President Trump. They are lying about it. It's an ugly word, but it's an ugly action that they're taking. They're denying it, testing less to cover it up and people are dying. We lose more people than France, Spain, UK, Italy combined every day. It's disgusting.

Joy Reid: I can tell you, I've been in New York recently. We go back and forth between here and there and New York actually feels like it's getting back to normal. You can go sit outside at a great restaurant and try to sort of live. New York is actually getting back to normal and these other states are falling into just the pit of COVID and I don't understand it.

Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York, thank you very much for calling in. I really appreciate you taking the time.

Governor Cuomo: My pleasure, good to be with you, Joy. Thank you.