Disclaimer: None of the aforementioned characters are mine.
Necessary
The first thing he mentions is that John is no Batman. That if he was, he would have found a way to save the lives of millions.
What he really wants to say is that John isn't Bruce. That if he was, he'd find a way to mend a heart crumpled by loss and heartache.
And what he wants to think is that this kid will never become the hero that Gotham will need, in order to rise again to its former glory.
Because if any of these things happen, the hope in them will just push out the hope of a different possibility. A hope that even he knows is futile.
Because if this is the end of a dark and tragic day, then it is also the dusk of a once proud legacy, and the end of a man he was too cowardly to concede to. To admit he was wrong to.
A day late and a dollar short. Ironic; after all, he's a billionaire. And yet, he still hopes for this all to just be a dream. For this Blake to just be some flimsy stand-in, until the real deal comes back, and tells him it will all be okay, that he'll stay this time.
As he watches the footage of the destruction, he doesn't fail to notice Blake staring at the screen. And in that moment, he can't really think or say anything.
Because in that face, he can't deny that there's something there. Not quite what he wants, but what Gotham needs.