It could be a hallmark of any campaign.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD announced Tuesday the city had just seen the safest May on record, with crime year to date down 6.2 percent. 

"When you look at the month of May, this was the safest May in modern history in this city," de Blasio said.

But it was not all good news. Hate crimes are up dramatically, by 64 percent compared to the same time period last year. Sixty percent of those crimes were targeting the Jewish community.

While NYPD officials say there is no clear motivation for the uptick here, the mayor, who has 2020 on his mind, used the opportunity to blast the right wing across the country.

"I think what we are seeing is an unleashing of the forces of hate all across this country," de Blasio said. "The ideological movement that is anti-Semitic is the right-wing movement. That's just abundantly clear."

Much of what de Blasio does now is seen through the lens of his presidential campaign. On Tuesday, his campaign announced he would be heading to Iowa this weekend, the home of the first presidential caucuses in about eight months. He is slated to address the Iowa Democratic Party's Hall of Fame event on Sunday.

"There are particular events that are driving the travel, and it's the Hall of Fame event in Iowa, which I think is going to be attended by every one of the presidential candidates. It's a crucial, crucial event," de Blasio said.

Still the mayor is far behind the other Democrats in the crowded race. A new analysis by FiveThirtyEight put his net favorability at -1 percent.

Perhaps the new crime figures could give him a boost on the trail, although he wasn’t ready to take full credit for the steady decline during his tenure.

"I would say from a perspective of strategy and policy, I've made a big imprint here. But the first credit goes to the people who have done such extraordinary work in the NYPD," the mayor initially said. But when he was asked if he deserved some credit, he said, "Sure, I deserve some credit. There you go. I'll take some credit."

Clearly, as long as de Blasio is running for president, the messages of his campaign and his day job will continue to overlap.