Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Frigid Mayor Bloomberg Called Out For His Inability To Hug
By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 16, 2012
Modified Nov 16, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 16, 2012
Modified Nov 16, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Yesterday, President Obama toured the Hurricane Sandy-damaged areas of Staten Island with Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg, and other city and state officials. While it was a hugging extravaganza for Obama, the visit exposed one of Bloomberg's major flaws: he's not a cuddly human being.
This isn't really a surprise: as anyone who has been to (or streamed) one of his many press conference, Bloomberg has a tendency to lose his patience easily with people. He doesn't exactly have a warm, inviting personality. The mayor IS excellent at crisis management, a skill which was essential during the first days after Sandy hit. But as the NY Times notes, he's been floundering a bit with how to interact with people affected by the storm ever since:
If the early days of Hurricane Sandy played to Mr. Bloomberg’s strengths — infrastructure expertise, no-nonsense crisis management — the extended and halting recovery has laid bare his limitations. After nearly 12 years of overseeing the nation’s largest municipality, he remains deeply uncomfortable with the role of consoling and soothing his city. He is rarely seen at public meeting with storm victims, and when he does interact with them, there are no tears or hugs.
Bloomberg's team counters that he has visited with many people whose lives have been upended by Sandy in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island—he just doesn't want those interactions exploited: “The people in this city didn’t elect Mike Bloomberg three times to give him a hug,” deputy mayor Howard Wolfson said. “His focus is helping people restore their lives. That’s what he believes government is there to do.”
But really, Bloomberg doesn't bear hug like Chris Christie, and he can't smile like Cuomo. He may be best remembered for how he handled the crisis calmly and efficiently, but he'll also be remembered for videos like the one below, where he got yelled at by enraged Rockaways residents who said they were desperate for water and supplies.
At this point, Bloomberg probably could care less what anyone thinks about him—as long as he doesn't do something incredibly stupid, like try to ban beer, his reputation as mayor is essentially set at this point. But if he does happen to be interested in learning the finer points of smushing two bodies together, there are plenty of helpful hugging gurus out there. If this lady can teach a horse to hug, how hard could it be to teach a diminutive plutocrat?
Tagged
bloomberg
hugs
mayor bloomberg
physical contact
warmth
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
Prosecutors say the 22-year-old damaged property outside the Fresh Meadows shop twice in May.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:07 p.m. ET
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
News
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial
By
David Brand
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
By
Caroline Lewis
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .