john catsimatidis. | spencer platt/getty images by azi paybarah 11/11/16 03:18 pm est billionaire john catsimatidis is registered republican and has donated to candidates in both parties. when he went to cleveland for the republican national convention in july, catsimatidis said he was not sure if he would vote for the party's nominee. he has known both hillary clinton and donald trump for years. story continued below in a recent interview, catsimatidis declined to say how he voted in the presidential election. <u+201c>look, both of them are friends of mine and i took the position that whatever will be, will be,<u+201d> catsimatidis said in a telephone interview. now that the election is over, it's time to rally behind the winner, he explained. "we all have to support him.<u+201d> catsimatidis has reason to be quiet about which of his friends he voted for to become president. as a republican in new york city considering a run for mayor again next year, catsimatidis (and people who advise him) are likely aware that embracing either candidate too closely may alienate voters, in the primary or the general election. in the interview, catsimatidis took a nuanced approached when asked if he thought the president-elect would fulfill his campaign pledge to deport undocumented residents and bar muslims from entering the country. <u+201c>my position always was, you<u+2019>re never going to deport 11 million, 12 million immigrants,<u+201d> said catsimatidis, who immigrated to the country when he was a child. <u+201c>but if there are immigrants who are breaking the law, who are crooks, who are killers, those people [officials should] deport asap.<u+201d> with respect to refugees, he said, <u+201c>i think we have to be extra careful that people are cleared.<u+201d> to explain his position, catsimatidis, echoing earlier highly criticized comments from the president-elect's son, said, <u+201c>if you had a hundred m&ms in a bowl, and five of them were poisonous, would you let [your children] eat any of them?<u+201d> catsimatidis added, <u+201c>in world war ii, roosevelt was extra careful with the japanese, was extra careful with the germans and i<u+2019>m not saying we should ban muslims, but i am saying we should be extra careful. and the president of the united states<u+2019> primary job is not to support immigrants, his primary job is to keep americans safe.<u+201d> as for trump<u+2019>s election impacting the new york city elections <u+2014> and by extension, his own political calculus <u+2014> catsimatidis said, <u+201c>i think new york is a little different than the rest of the country.<u+201d> a free synopsis of our pro morning email about new york education policy and politics a free synopsis of our pro morning email about new york energy policy and politics a free synopsis of our pro morning email about new york health care policy and politics a free synopsis of our pro morning email about new york real estate policy and politics our morning email with must-read analysis and breaking news on state news and politics a morning email with must-read analysis and breaking news on city news and politics. a weekly round-up of legislation in city council for politics and policy professionals. a reported briefing on money in politics, executive moves, and trends in communications, lobbying and consulting. our twice-a-week digest of news on courts and the law in new york azi paybarah and jimmy vielkind's must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable new yorkers.
with two friends on the ballot, catsimatidis is mum on who he supported for president
azi paybarah