De Blasio visits Iowa as he mulls 2020 bid

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) is visiting Iowa this weekend as he mulls a potential White House bid.

De Blasio said during his visit that he has “not ruled out a run for president, obviously,” according to The New York Times. He added that he would need to discuss the decision with his family. 

The mayor on Saturday attended a gathering hosted by the Woodbury County Democrats, which the Times described as a traditional stop for White House hopefuls.

{mosads}De Blasio said during the visit that he thinks the U.S. is “waiting to be unified.”

“If you look at the everyday discourse, you might think this is a country mired in division and that conservative forces are dominant. I think it’s quite the opposite,” de Blasio said, according to the Times. “I think this is a country waiting to be unified.”

De Blasio was also critical of 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, saying that “one of the mistakes” of her campaign was “talking about Donald Trump.”

“We’re not going to win by talking about Donald Trump. I have deep respect for our previous nominee. I know her very well, but I think that was one of the mistakes,” de Blasio said.

According to the New York Post, de Blasio traveled toward Des Moines on Saturday night despite blizzard conditions. He was forced to stop in Onawa, Iowa, because of the weather and stay in a Super 8 Motel, the newspaper reported, citing sources.

He arrived in Des Moines on Sunday morning and met with Mayor Frank Cownie (D) and others at Smokey Row Coffee Co. cafe, according to the Post.

The Times reported that de Blasio is also scheduled to meet Sunday in Des Moines with former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) and J.D. Scholten, the Democrat who challenged Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) last year.

De Blasio will also give a speech Sunday afternoon in front of the Asian & Latino Coalition, a political action committee, according to the Times.