Cuomo Might Run For President If Joe Biden Doesn't: Report

NEW YORK — If Biden's out, Cuomo might be in. Gov. Andrew Cuomo may run for president in 2020 if former vice president Joe Biden decides not to join the already crowded Democratic field, according to a new report.

In two lengthy interviews with The Atlantic, the third-term Democratic governor didn't rule out a White House bid in the event that Biden, his favored candidate, ultimately stays out of the race.

"Call me back," Cuomo told the magazine when asked what he would do if Biden does not run.

Cuomo has pitched himself as the leader of New York's fight against Republican President Donald Trump, whom the governor has cast as hostile to the state. He also touted his progressive accomplishments during his re-election campaign last year, such as the state's steps toward a $15-per-hour minimum wage and the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Despite his hesitation, Cuomo reportedly believes he's well equipped to beat Trump in 2020 because he has a record of concrete achievements that other Democrats lack. He also believes Trump is "scared" of the investigations circling him and that many of his backers have "lost faith in him," he told The Atlantic.

"I know how to do what everybody’s talking about doing. They’re all talking about how to fly an airplane. None of them have flown," Cuomo told the magazine. "... I know how to do affordable housing. I know how to bring jobs to the middle class. I know how to build infrastructure."

Mayor Bill de Blasio, Cuomo's fellow Democrat and political nemesis, is also mulling a presidential bid. Another New Yorker, Democratic U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, has taken a more formal step toward a 2020 campaign by forming a presidential exploratory committee.

Read The Atlantic's full story here.