Hochul has ‘very cordial’ call with Trump following combative press conference with AG James

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she called President-elect Trump on Thursday to “reaffirm” the pair can work together in areas like infrastructure where the state relies on federal funding.

The call came a day after Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James held a combative press conference where James vowed to “fight back once again” against a Trump administration and defend the rights of New Yorkers and the rule of law.

“It was a very cordial call, and listen, I said I’ll work with anybody,” Hochul said, at a post-election political event in Puerto Rico Friday, per Politico. She said it was an appropriate courtesy to congratulate the winner of an election.

“I basically just reaffirmed there are areas we can work together, like infrastructure, where we rely on federal money, and he seems to share my priorities.”

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she called President-elect Trump on Thursday to “reaffirm” the pair can work together in areas such as infrastructure, where the state relies on federal funding. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, left,  Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images, right. )

New York relies on federal funding via the CHIPS and Science Act for its semiconductor plant near Syracuse, the future of which was thrown into doubt after Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans would likely repeal the law, although he later walked back the comment. The Micron semiconductor plant could bring 50,000 jobs to Central New York, per Politico.

The state also plans to extend the Second Avenue Subway in Manhattan and Hochul says she underlined the importance of federal funding for the MTA and upgrading Penn Station, the busiest transit hub in the country that has become a haven for the city’s homeless population. Hochul previously called it a “hell hole.”

The plan to expand Penn Station would involve demolishing city blocks and could cost nearly $17 billion, according to the New York Post. The plan would run in tandem with the completion of the $16 billion Gateway Project involving the construction of a new tunnel linking New York and New Jersey and refurbishing existing century-old Penn tracks that were badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

“I want Penn Station to be something that we’re all proud of. I said it can be beautiful. And he agreed,” she said of Trump.

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Letitia James and Kathy Hochul pose after the rally at 1199 SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Headquarters. The pair held a press conference Wednesday following Trump’s win. (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Federal funding for the MTA could hinge on support for Trump, while Hochul has floated implementing congestion pricing to help boost MTA coffers by $1 billion, but Trump previously vowed to terminate congestion pricing. 

The controversial proposal was shelved by Hochul over the summer weeks before it was expected to be implemented. The plan would impose $15 tolls on vehicles entering Lower Manhattan. The MTA received more than $15 billion in COVID-19 funding.

At Trump’s Bronx rally in May, the president-elect vowed to “save” his home city and “turn it around very, very quickly.”

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A person rides an escalator under the Empire State Building at the new entrance to Penn Station and the Moynihan Train Hall on Jan. 29, 2021 in New York City.  (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

But Hochul also said she would be “unrelenting in protecting the rights of New Yorkers.”

On Wednesday, following Trump’s election win, Hochul and James vowed to protect New Yorkers against attacks on abortion, civil rights, immigration, gun control and LGBTQ rights. 

Prior to the election, Hochul said that if New Yorkers voted for Trump and the GOP, “you’re anti-woman, you’re anti-abortion, and basically you’re anti-American because you have just trashed American values and what our country is all about.”

Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.