Election 2024: Gov. Kathy Hochul vows to protect New York’s freedoms and discusses path forward after 2024 presidential election

NEW YORK (WABC) – Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke to New Yorkers Wednesday afternoon about the state’s path forward after calling the 2024 presidential election for Donald Trump.

Along with New York Attorney General Letitia James, Hochul gave a speech from her city office in Manhattan, attempting to reassure New Yorkers disappointed by the presidential results.

During the press conference, Hochul congratulated President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance on their election victory and praised Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for their hard-fought campaigns. She also congratulated State Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on her victory and other newly elected and re-elected Democratic members of Congress.

The governor said New York will recognize the results of the presidential election and work with anyone who wants to help achieve its goals, but the state will not accept an agenda from Washington that strips New Yorkers of their rights.

“This is the birthplace of the women’s rights movement, the environmental justice movement, the LGBTQ rights movement and the American labor movement. With that as part of our history, our story, New York will remain a bastion for freedom and the rule of law,” said Hochul.

The governor laid out plans to confront a potentially hostile Trump administration by launching a so-called “Empire State Freedom Initiative.”

“Reproductive rights, civil rights, immigration, gun safety, labor rights, LGBTQ rights and environmental justice – our team will do everything we can to identify possible threats,” Hochul said.

She added that her administration will work with AG James’ office and other government officials to keep New Yorkers informed of their efforts to protect their freedoms.

“We have faced this challenge before and we are using the rule of law to fight it. And we are ready to fight back again because as attorney general of this great state, it is my job to protect and defend the rights of New York and the rule of law, and I will not shy away from that responsibility,” said James.

James said she and other AGs across the country have been studying Project 2025 and carefully preparing for that day.

“No matter what the next administration throws at us, we are ready,” James said.

When it comes to congestion pricing, advocates including the MTA, which is banking on funding the next phase of the Second Avenue Subway and other projects, say it’s now or never.

“The $15 was too much for ordinary New Yorkers when affordability is their top priority, as we have seen recently,” Hochul said. “Again, that doesn’t mean I’m hostile to congestion pricing. On the contrary, I simply said that this was a break.”

It’s a pause that may now be permanent, after Trump made clear his negative view of congestion pricing in May, calling the policy a “failure.”

Nothing said Wednesday is likely to endear the governor to the president-elect, but neither she nor James, whom Trump has repeatedly criticized over her legal actions against him, are backing down.

“I’m not afraid of Donald Trump, I’ve never been afraid of Donald Trump,” James said.

Hochul pointed out that a majority of New York voted for the Equal Rights Amendment, also known as Proposition 1. James said this will protect those rights above anything short of a federal ban.

The governor and attorney general’s comments came after New York City Mayor Eric Adams held his own press conference on Wednesday in which he also pledged to fight for the rights of New Yorkers.

RELATED | Gov. Phil Murphy speaks out after five New Jersey counties move to red:

———-

* Get eyewitness news

* Follow us on YouTube

* More local news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

Do you have a breaking news tip or idea for a story we should cover? Submit it to Eyewitness News using the form below. The terms of use apply to attaching a video or photo.