Andrew Cuomo was widely mocked Monday after comparing himself and Dr Anthony Fauci to Godfather actors Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.
The New York governor, who was born in Queens, had appeared with the nation's top infectious disease expert during a press conference to discuss a COVID-19 vaccine.
He said: 'I think your voice saying that the vaccine is safe would be important. Maybe we will enlist you. Maybe we will do an ad telling New Yorkers it's safe to take the vaccine. Put us together.
'We can be the modern-day [Robert] De Niro and [Al] Pacino. You can chose whichever you want. You can be De Niro or Pacino. Which one do you want to be?'
Andrew Cuomo was widely mocked Monday after comparing himself and Dr Anthony Fauci to Godfather actors Al Pacino and Robert De Niro during a press conference Monday
The comparison sparked ridicule online, with one user writing: 'More like Beavis and Butthead'
But the comparison sparked ridicule online, with one Twitter user, @weimrnr, commenting: 'More like Beavis and Butthead.'
Another shared a meme of Dumb and Dumber, writing: 'I think he meant these two.'
David Potts wrote 'more like Bert and Ernie' in reference to the Sesame Street muppets.
Robert De Niro, left, and Al Pacino arrive for the 92nd annual Academy Awards in February
And journalist Matt Binder asked: 'Is Cuomo basing his own personal comparison on the total number of people dead at the hands of Pacino and De Niro's characters in their respective movies combined?'
A total of 27,215 people have died from the virus across New York state; more than 700,000 have tested positive.
Brooklyn born Dr Fauci had replied: 'I love them both. I don't want to hurt the feeling of the other.'
'Who’s the politician now?', Cuomo replied.
In August last year, the governor's brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo, threatened a man for calling him 'Fredo,' a reference to the character Fredo Corleone from 'The Godfather,' a weakling compared to his brother Michael Corleone, a crime boss
But their jokey exchange sparked anger for some, with @WomanInSTEM_ writing: 'Two mafia guys, for sure.'
In August last year, the governor's brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo, threatened a man for calling him 'Fredo,' a reference to the character Fredo Corleone from 'The Godfather,' a weakling compared to his brother Michael Corleone, a crime boss.
After the comparison Monday @Spiri220 shared a meme from the Godfather, writing: '...and yet he’s just Fredo.'
Cuomo was last month awarded an Emmy for his 'masterful' COVID-19 press conferences.
Many questioned why he was honored, given New York had the most severe infection rates, and considering some of Cuomo's decisions, namely the fact that he sent thousands of COVID-19 patients back into nursing homes.
Dr Fauci warned in Monday's press conference that January could be 'a really dark time' for the United States.
Cuomo on Monday said he would close indoor dining in New York City if hospitalizations didn't slow down as they reached 1,400 - more than double what they were in mid November.
The city wide test positivity rate in NYC is 4 percent and it varies between boroughs; in Manhattan, it is 2.56 percent but on Staten Island, it is 6.3 percent. Statewide, it is 4.79 percent.
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