Will De Blasio Run For President? He Doesn't Say No

NEW YORK — Mayor Bill de Blasio declined to rule out a run for president on Sunday after getting national attention for a pair of new policy proposals.

"I never rule things out because you never know what life brings, but I'm focused on the work I'm doing now and getting this message out," the mayor said on CNN's "State of the Union."

CNN host Jake Tapper pressed de Blasio about his White House ambitions after the mayor once again touted his plans to expand health care access for undocumented immigrants and mandate two weeks of paid personal time for most New York City employees.

Both measures, which were announced ahead of his State of the City address last week, generated national media coverage for the Democratic mayor, who has sought to project his voice beyond New York City throughout his tenure.

If he were to launch a run for president, de Blasio would join a crowded field of Democrats hoping to unseat President Donald Trump in 2020 that already includes Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Julián Castro, who was President Barack Obama's housing secretary.

Tapper said other big city mayors, including Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles and Mitch Landrieu, who formerly led New Orleans, are also considering bids. (Landrieu has reportedly said he doesn't intend to run.)

While de Blasio insisted he is focused on his current job, he said he wants to continue pushing Democrats to better reach struggling Americans whom Trump won over in 2016.

"There's still a lot of moderate voices in the party that did not learn the lessons of 2016 and are not listening to what people need in this country," de Blasio said. "So I want to push this whole party and I want to inform this debate in this country about the fact that we could go a lot farther, we could be a lot bolder than what we're doing now."

After he unveiled his paid time off proposal last week, the mayor similarly said he planned to press Democrats to support ideas like those the city has implemented.

De Blasio also declined to say Sunday whether he would back Democratic New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who is also considered a possible 2020 candidate.

Gillibrand recently hired several campaign staffers and is planning a trip later this month to Iowa, which holds the first presidential primary contest, according to news reports.

(Lead image: Mayor Bill de Blasio delivers his State of the City address on Jan. 10, 2019. Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)