By Staff, Agencies

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo responded to US President Donald Trump‘s intention to cut funding to some cities.

“He can’t have enough bodyguards to walk through New York City,” Cuomo said, as quoted by the Fox News. “Forget bodyguards, he'd better have an army if he thinks he’s going to walk down the streets in New York."

“He is persona non grata in New York City, and I think he knows that, and he'll never come back to New York, because New Yorkers will never forget how gratuitously mean he has been,” the New York State governor added.

Earlier, Trump threatened to pull federal funding from cities that were unable to prevent the establishment of lawless zones.

He singled out the cities of Portland, Seattle, Washington, DC and New York City, which have experienced rioting and looting amid demonstrations against racial injustice following the death of George Floyd in May.

Trump also wants his administration to publish a list on the Justice Department website within the next two weeks identifying state and local jurisdictions that "have permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist".

Protests against police brutality and racism started in numerous cities in the United States after the death of African American George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis on 25 May.