New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio responded to President Donald Trump's threat to cut federal funding with a threat of litigation, Fox News reports.
"We will see you in court," de Blasio said during a Thursday morning press conference, directing his comment at Trump.
Trump has threatened to take away federal funding for Seattle, Portland, New York City and Washington, D.C., as part of an effort to target "anarchist jurisdictions" that he alleges have "permitted violence and the destruction of property" during recent ongoing protests.
"I want to speak directly to the president," de Blasio said. "If you persist in trying to deny the funding that's keeping New York City going in the middle of this crisis, we will see you in court and once again we will beat you in court."
He added that the president's "words don't carry much weight on this topic because the Supreme Court has spoken."
"The president of the United States can't interfere with funding for cities and states just because he feels like it," de Blasio said.
The mayors of the four cities being threatened also issued a statement together, according to Fox News.
"Our cities, and the millions of Americans who we represent, are not President Trump's political pawns," they said in a statement. "We are confronting unprecedented challenges — fighting back a pandemic and economic devastation without another stimulus. Now, instead of leadership from the White House, we are faced with new attacks that are unlawful, unconstitutional and will be undoubtedly defeated in court."
"President Trump needs to wake up to the reality facing our cities — and our entire country — and realize he is not above the law," the statement continued.
Trump wrote a memo to the attorney general and the White House budget director asking for a review of all federal funds provided to the four cities that he claims "permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America's cities."
"My administration will not allow federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones," Trump penned.
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