Andrew H. Card Jr., former chief of staff to President George W. Bush, said he foresees “uninvited consequences” for the economy resulting in part from massive government spending to aid the recovery from the pandemic.
“One of them may be that people aren’t going back to work the way they thought they would,” Mr. Card said, referring to a slowdown of hiring in April. “I think you’re going to have to pay attention to the unemployment rate and the job opportunities that can’t be filled. I think it’s going to have an impact on our economy.”
Still, Trump should “absolutely” change his tone, come out forcefully against the unrest and ensure a peaceful transition, Astorino said. But he added that both sides need to decry what he called political violence.
Although he believed discussions about election integrity need to happen to restore the public’s faith, Astorino said he’d recognize Democrat Joe Biden as president after his Jan. 20 inauguration.
“I respect the office and I respect the fact that America speaks at the voting booth, not by lighting matches, tearing down statues and assaulting people,” he said
Astorino, who served as county executive from 2010-17, is a friend of Trump who has been connected to the president since Trump emerged as a Republican candidate. Trump considered running for governor in 2014 but stepped aside when Astorino got the Republican nomination.