Former President Donald Trump arrived in Nassau County to attempt to do something that hasn’t been done in 40 years: win New York in the 2024 presidential election.
“I’m going to make this state incredible,” Trump said during his rally. “Together we will build our roads, bridges, highways and airports. They’re falling apart. We will renovate New York.”
Trump’s rally, which took place at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Wednesday evening and marked the third Long Island rally he had hosted since 2016, drew a crowd of 16,000 in the coliseum and about 2,000 outside of the venue. Dozens of vendors turned the coliseum into a Trump-themed street fair, selling a wide variety of Trump merchandise.
Before Trump spoke at 7 p.m., a roster of Who’s Who’s in the Republican Party energized the crowd, including speakers Edward Cox, the current chairman of the New York Republican State Committee; Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, Anthony D’Esposito and Nick LaLota; Republican nominee for the Third Congressional District Mike LiPetri; Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, former New York City Mayor Rudy Guilliani and more.
At the same time, Democratic leaders rallied in the Free Speech Zone outside of the Coliseum in opposition to Trump’s visit
“Donald Trump has been no good for our property taxes, no good for affordability, and let’s not even get into women’s reproductive rights,” said Jay Jacobs, the state Democratic Party chairman, who led the protest.
The sentiment shared at the protest was that Trump’s campaign is one of vitriol and divisiveness.
This was the first rally Trump had hosted since the second assassination attack on his life. He started his speech by thanking law enforcement and the U.S. Secret Service for apprehending the attacker.
Trump then delivered a message to Democratic vice presidental candidate Kamala Harris. He said it’s time to stop the lies, stop the hoaxes, stop the schemes, stop the lawsuits against him, and stop claiming he will turn America into a dictatorship.
“Wages will soar, the cost of living with fall and I will deliver the greatest economy in the history of the world to our country and one of the greatest economies in the history of New York State,” Trump said. “And a key part of restoring safety and saving our economy is stopping the engagement at the border.”
On day one, Trump said he would seal the border and stop the migrant invasion by carrying out the “largest deportation operations of criminals in the world.” Trump said the open border policy has allowed MS-13 gang members to overrun Long Island. If elected into office, he said he would launch a special task force to crush the gang, along with any other foreign gang members in the nation.
Trump said the current border policy contributed to 32,000 illegal immigrants overrunning Springfield, Ohio, and he said he would be visiting Springfield in a few weeks.
Although he did not repeat the same claim he made a few weeks ago that Haitian immigrants are eating cats and dogs, he said they destroyed the economy and he will get them out of the country if elected into office.
Several local advocacy groups, especially those on Long Island, have supported the Haitian American population since Trump and Vance made those claims. State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages and her brother, Carrié Solages — the first Haitian American to be elected to the Nassau County Legislature — spoke out against this rhetoric at a protest outside of the coliseum.
“We demand a formal apology from the Trump campaign as well as a restatement of the true facts,” Legislator Solages, one of the protest organizers, said. “We will not tolerate dehumanizing lies about our community.
Trump said he would scrap a $10,000 cap on deducting state and local taxes, or SALT, that was passed as part of his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
“All of a sudden, now that he is on Long Island, Donald Trump’s selective amnesia kicks in and he totally reverses himself on SALT,” U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement. “But we know Donald Trump, we know what his MO is. He’s going to do nothing. He’s simply trying to escape the anger of many families he’s upset when he placed those caps, which affect so many middle-class people, particularly in higher-cost areas like Long Island.”
Congressman D’Esposito spoke at the rally, saying Trump would make the economy stronger by restoring SALT and securing the border. But his Democratic opponent, Laura Gillen, warned against another Trump team.
“Here are the facts: in his 2017 tax law, Donald Trump gutted the SALT deduction and forced working families to pay taxes twice on the same income,” Gillen said in a statement. “Trump’s lackey, Anthony D’Esposito, has been in the Republican-held House majority for nearly two years yet has failed to even get SALT restoration up for a vote.
“Nassau County families see right through Trump and D’Esposito’s performative bluff. In Congress, I will do the bipartisan work to bring back SALT and secure tax relief for hardworking Long Island families.”
“Long Island is a battleground island and with your help, we are going to re-elect Andrew Garbarino, Nick LaLota. We are going to elect Michael LiPetri and we are going to make Long Island where the majority in the House of Representatives vote through,” D’Esposito said.
Trump said he would introduce the “Trump Reciprocal Trade Act” under which if another country slapped high tariffs on the U.S., then the U.S. would do the same to them.
“My message is very simple. Make your products right here in Uniondale. Make your product in America and if you do that, you won’t have to pay a tax,” Trump said.
Trump said his economic plan would cut energy prices in half within 12 months and combat inflation by decreasing prices. He said he would cut interest rates, insurance and taxes. He also promised that he would eliminate taxes on tips, overtime, and social security benefits and temporarily cap credit card interest rates.
The former president also vowed to officially make the ground zero site at the World Trade Center a national monument.
“Together, we will deliver low taxes, low regulations, low energy costs, low interest rates, low inflation so that everyone can afford groceries, a car and a home,” Trump said. “We will stop the invasion, the migrant crime, support our police, strengthen our military.”
