NEW YORK CITY — He waited months to endorse her for president but Mayor Bill de Blasio wasted no time in praising Hillary Clinton Thursday after she gave a major foreign policy speech on how she would deal with ISIS.
De Blasio said the former secretary of state and Democratic presidential nominee displayed "real leadership" and was "100 percent presidential" in presenting her plan.
"I thought this was an extraordinary speech by Secretary Clinton," de Blasio said at the Council on Foreign Relations. "I think this is one of the clearest explanations of the challenge we face from ISIS and other threats, with a very clear, strong set of proposals of what to do about it."
The mayor sat up front for the speech and, unlike when he finally endorsed Clinton and she buried the news in a press release, she acknowledged his presence.
“Mr. Mayor, thank you very much for being here and for everything you are doing and will do to keep our city safe and strong. I’m very grateful," Clinton said.
De Blasio greeted Clinton afterward and spoke to her for a few moments, at one point speaking into her ear.
"I simply told her I thought it was an exceptionally clear articulation of her vision," de Blasio said.
It was quite different from a few months ago when de Blasio said he wanted to wait to endorse Clinton until he heard a clear vision from her for dealing with income inequality. The mayor's stance drew the ire of Clinton supporters.
Clinton laid out a plan to "defeat and destroy ISIS" with special forces troops and a no-fly zone. She also called for more cooperation from countries in the region but said she did not think American troops should be on the ground in Syria.
Clinton also called for there to be some type of compromise on encryption technology and for the United States to continue to accept Syrian refugees with careful screening.
"Online or off-line, the bottom line is that we are in a contest of ideas against an ideology of hate, and we have to win," said Clinton. "Let’s be clear, though, Islam is not our adversary. Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people, and have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism."
De Blasio said he agreed with Clinton's message, especially her assertion that the country keep accepting Syrian refugees.
"As she said, it would be a travesty if people who are fleeing the effects of ISIS terror were then turned back at our doors," the mayor added.
On Wednesday, the mayor said he didn't 'plan" to attend Clinton's speech but changed his mind on Thursday, saying he wanted to "support" her.
