ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
New York's democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, is trying to navigate tensions with President Trump. They met privately today in the White House a day after Trump called Hochul a, quote, "very nice woman." They have also clashed on the issues facing New York. Jeongyoon Han of the New York Public News Network reports on the fine line Hochul's walking.
JEONGYOON HAN, BYLINE: Governor Kathy Hochul requested the meeting this week, but at times, she has referenced the "Rambo" movies to describe her approach to President Donald Trump's administration.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KATHY HOCHUL: Everybody watch "First Blood"? Someone draws first blood, you respond. I didn't draw first blood. OK?
HAN: Hochul hasn't confronted Trump quite like some other Democratic governors. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker compared the president's first weeks in office to the end of democracy in prewar Germany. Maine Governor Janet Mills told Trump, see you in court, at a White House meeting.
GRANT REEHER: She's playing the game a little bit differently.
HAN: That's Grant Reeher. He's a politics professor at Syracuse University.
REEHER: She doesn't want to be seen to be an ally of Donald Trump and his administration. She also has to worry about her left flank and being seen as too liberal.
HAN: And he says Hochul has to worry about things like federal money. So she's been choosing her battles. One fight she's taken up is a congestion pricing law that charged tolls on drivers in lower Manhattan. Trump revoked federal approval for it after he came into office. That drew a lawsuit from the transport authority and Hochul's criticism.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HOCHUL: New York hasn't labored under a king in over 250 years.
(CHEERING)
HOCHUL: And we are not - we sure as hell are not going to start now.
HAN: Hochul's defense of the policy is building goodwill with environmentalists and transit advocates. She's also said the tariffs that Trump says are needed to support U.S. business could cost the average New Yorker as much as $1,200 annually.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HOCHUL: This is literally just the beginning of what we're going to be feeling as a result of this administration.
HAN: But she's been cautious about confronting Trump on positions that might be more controversial, especially around immigration. She did not remove New York Mayor Eric Adams from office, despite corruption allegations and as some Democrats wanted. Adams has cooperated with Trump's crackdown on immigration, which Reeher says strikes a chord on concerns over public safety.
REEHER: That fits exactly into that narrative where she has already seen she is politically vulnerable.
HAN: State Republicans are amplifying the public safety claims, though immigrant advocates say they're not proven. Immigration advocates like Murad Awawdeh, the President and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, want Hochul to stand up to Trump on immigration.
MURAD AWAWDEH: While it's been great seeing Governor Hochul fight back against Donald Trump, we'd love for her to also support protecting our communities here across the State of New York, like supporting the New York for All Act.
HAN: The New York for All Act would prohibit state and local officials from working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials over deportations. The bill has been around for a couple years. In a written statement, Hochul's office said the governor will consider the bill if it's passed first by state lawmakers. For now, she says New York will work with ICE for migrants who've committed crimes.
Morgan Hook, who's a Democratic strategist in New York, thinks immigration will be the biggest issue out of Washington that Hochul will have to address. The question then is, will she listen to progressive Democrats or voters who want more immigration enforcement?
MORGAN HOOK: I think that we've already seen Governor Hochul take action that demonstrates that she's trying to align herself more with, I would say, middle-of-the-road voters, the swing voters, moderate voters.
HAN: Hochul is up for reelection next year, and she does have some leverage with Trump. Trump said he wanted to use the meeting with Hochul on Friday to talk about a natural gas pipeline he wants to run through the state. Hochul said she revisited the question of congestion pricing in New York City. A statement from her office called the meeting a productive conversation. For NPR News, I'm Jeongyoon Han in Albany, New York.
(SOUNDBITE OF DE LA SOUL, ESTELLE AND PETE ROCK SONG, "MEMORY OF... (US)") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
