De Blasio Defends Motorcade Driving Him to a Gym in Brooklyn Every Day: I’m Reducing City’s Overall Emissions

EXCERPT:

LEMIRE: "But I also do need to ask, you live on the Upper East Side at Gracie Mansion. Most days or several days a week a city SUV drives you 11 miles to a gym in Brooklyn as opposed to one that's close to where you currently reside. What sort of environmentally responsible example are you setting there, taking this drive, in a car, as opposed to going somewhere nearby."
DE BLASIO: "So, the example we are setting -- first and foremost, let's look at this exact question before us. The plans we have put forward and we are acting on will reduce emissions 30 percent in all of New York City by 2030. That's where we make huge change. To the question you asked -- look, wherever I go in New York City, whether I take a subway, whether I go nearby or farther away I have a security detail that follows me in their cars either way. So, let's be clear, this is just part of my life. I -- I come from that neighborhood in Brooklyn. That's my home. I go there on a regular basis to stay connected to where I come from and not be in the bubble that I think for a lot of politicians is a huge problem. But the fact is that those cars and that security detail are part of the life of being mayor of New York City."