Bill De Blasio Endorses Hillary Clinton For President

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton for president on Friday.

"The candidate who I believe can fundamentally address income inequality effectively, the candidate who has the right vision and the right experience and the ability to get the job done, is Hillary Clinton," he said on MSNBC 's "Morning Joe." "I've seen her vision and platform develop over five months. I'm extremely pleased with what she's put on the table."

De Blasio's endorsement of Clinton, the former secretary of state, was long-awaited. Though he's been openly supportive of her campaign, he had said that he wanted hear more of her vision  before officially signing on. He was also waiting for her to speak out on President Barack Obama's controversial trade deal .

“Democrats all over the country are looking to her for leadership," de Blasio said in June, according to The New York Times.

De Blasio managed Clinton's campaign during her 2000 Senate bid, when she ran as a candidate from New York, and he was expected to endorse Clinton for president this year as a matter of course. Clinton attended de Blasio's inauguration in 2014, in what was seen as a sign of the strength of their relationship. But the mayor notably declined to announce his support earlier this year, much to the chagrin of Clinton's aides.

According to The Wall Street Journal, de Blasio wanted to make the announcement  ahead of a candidates' forum he is holding in Iowa this December.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) endorsed Clinton  in April.

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