De Blasio: I explained to Trump ‘how fearful people are’

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) on Thursday said he’s “hopeful” after meeting a day earlier with President-elect Donald Trump.

{mosads}De Blasio, who was heavily critical of Trump during the presidential campaign, met with the president-elect for a little over an hour Wednesday.

“I think it was important for me to explain to him how fearful people are, in this city, in this country,” de Blasio told CNN’s “New Day.”

“That not just the rhetoric, but some of the policies that have been proposed literally have people wondering whether their family members might be deported, whether because of their religion they’re going to be discriminated against.”

De Blasio declined to characterize Trump’s position but called the meeting a “substantive discussion.”

“And because it was a lengthy discussion, I’m hopeful a lot of the give-and-take really registered,” he said.

“The question is, there was that rhetoric and it was shocking to a lot of us and unacceptable in the context of American democracy. Now, he’s going to get to do things. The actions will tell us who he really is.”

After the meeting Wednesday, the New York City mayor called the discussion “substantive” and “candid,” noting it was an opportunity to relay the concerns and fears of New Yorkers.