Why is Trump Holding Campaign Events in Democrat-Leaning New York?
The critical House district he’s visiting contains the key to understanding the situation.
TroibNews 
NEW YORK — Donald Trump has voiced frustrations about being confined to New York for his Manhattan hush money trial, thereby missing the opportunity to campaign in key swing states. Yet on Wednesday, he chose not to visit those crucial areas, instead favoring a rally in a predominantly Democratic state where his chances of winning are slim.
The Republican presidential candidate will be heading to Long Island, a GOP stronghold, enhancing his party's competitiveness in the state. While these suburbs may not directly lead to the presidency, they play a significant role in the upcoming battle for control of the House.
The event will take place in the district represented by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who is among five first-term Republicans from New York engaged in challenging reelection campaigns.
“While New York perhaps is not a battleground state, Long Island is a battleground island,” D’Esposito noted in an interview. He believes the visit benefits Trump, explaining that a majority in the House will be vital should he return to the presidency. The seats they are fighting to keep in Long Island and elsewhere in New York are crucial to achieving this majority.
Local Nassau County Republicans, who have been planning Trump’s visit for six months, anticipate a warm reception. They attribute a recent political shift, bringing more Republicans into various levels of office on the island and across the state, to their efforts.
Previously, when Joe Biden was still in the presidential race, he led Trump by only 8 percentage points in New York, per a Siena College poll. Since Kamala Harris took over as the Democratic frontrunner, that margin has increased to 14 points.
“This is not just a rally in a location that is extremely important to him personally, where he has roots going back his whole life, but he’s clearly in a far better position, electorally, in New York than he was in 2020,” mentioned former Rep. Lee Zeldin in an interview.
Internal polls suggest Trump is leading in Long Island's congressional districts.
D’Esposito's Democratic opponent, Laura Gillen, has kept her critiques of Trump to a minimum, focusing her comments mainly on policy issues.
Recently, Gillen, who refused an interview with PMG, posted a message on X prior to Trump's visit, condemning political violence after two threats against the former president, expressing trust in the local police for ensuring safety.
Democratic State Sen. Kevin Thomas views D’Esposito's seat as "easiest to flip," praising Gillen as an ideal candidate. "We just have to do the work on the ground. We’ve got to knock on doors and be out there in the community," he stated in an interview.
Originally, the rally was set to coincide with Trump’s sentencing in Manhattan, which was postponed. However, the campaign proceeded with the original plans, according to a source close to the matter who spoke under the condition of anonymity.
The event’s coordination involved the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, managed by Las Vegas Sands, headed by Trump donor Miriam Adelson, disclosed another source familiar with the plans.
Jay Jacobs, chair of the New York State and Nassau County Democratic parties, ironically welcomed Trump's choice, seeing it as beneficial for the Democrats: “I’d love to have him here, because anytime he’s in Nassau County, he’s not in Pennsylvania, he’s not in Wisconsin and Michigan, he’s not in Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina,” he said in an interview. He views Trump's allocation of time to New York as advantageous for his party.
However, Republican representatives argue that Trump doesn’t need to be in a swing state to influence voters.
“He’s got a message for all of his suburbs about American values, and Nassau County’s the first suburb in America,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman claimed in an interview. “And it’s an apropos place to talk about the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Detroit, Phoenix and Atlanta, just to name a few.”
On the eve of the rally, Trump addressed residents of states with high taxes in a post on Truth Social, promising to reinstate the full deductibility of state and local taxes, previously capped under his administration.
Responding to D’Esposito’s praise of Trump’s commitment to remove the cap, Gillen pointed out that it was Trump who originally restricted the deduction.
The Democratic National Committee is countering Trump’s rally with digital ads and mobile billboards, criticizing Trump, JD Vance, and their Republican colleagues for their stance on reproductive health issues, including in vitro fertilization.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
The Republican presidential candidate will be heading to Long Island, a GOP stronghold, enhancing his party's competitiveness in the state. While these suburbs may not directly lead to the presidency, they play a significant role in the upcoming battle for control of the House.
The event will take place in the district represented by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who is among five first-term Republicans from New York engaged in challenging reelection campaigns.
“While New York perhaps is not a battleground state, Long Island is a battleground island,” D’Esposito noted in an interview. He believes the visit benefits Trump, explaining that a majority in the House will be vital should he return to the presidency. The seats they are fighting to keep in Long Island and elsewhere in New York are crucial to achieving this majority.
Local Nassau County Republicans, who have been planning Trump’s visit for six months, anticipate a warm reception. They attribute a recent political shift, bringing more Republicans into various levels of office on the island and across the state, to their efforts.
Previously, when Joe Biden was still in the presidential race, he led Trump by only 8 percentage points in New York, per a Siena College poll. Since Kamala Harris took over as the Democratic frontrunner, that margin has increased to 14 points.
“This is not just a rally in a location that is extremely important to him personally, where he has roots going back his whole life, but he’s clearly in a far better position, electorally, in New York than he was in 2020,” mentioned former Rep. Lee Zeldin in an interview.
Internal polls suggest Trump is leading in Long Island's congressional districts.
D’Esposito's Democratic opponent, Laura Gillen, has kept her critiques of Trump to a minimum, focusing her comments mainly on policy issues.
Recently, Gillen, who refused an interview with PMG, posted a message on X prior to Trump's visit, condemning political violence after two threats against the former president, expressing trust in the local police for ensuring safety.
Democratic State Sen. Kevin Thomas views D’Esposito's seat as "easiest to flip," praising Gillen as an ideal candidate. "We just have to do the work on the ground. We’ve got to knock on doors and be out there in the community," he stated in an interview.
Originally, the rally was set to coincide with Trump’s sentencing in Manhattan, which was postponed. However, the campaign proceeded with the original plans, according to a source close to the matter who spoke under the condition of anonymity.
The event’s coordination involved the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, managed by Las Vegas Sands, headed by Trump donor Miriam Adelson, disclosed another source familiar with the plans.
Jay Jacobs, chair of the New York State and Nassau County Democratic parties, ironically welcomed Trump's choice, seeing it as beneficial for the Democrats: “I’d love to have him here, because anytime he’s in Nassau County, he’s not in Pennsylvania, he’s not in Wisconsin and Michigan, he’s not in Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina,” he said in an interview. He views Trump's allocation of time to New York as advantageous for his party.
However, Republican representatives argue that Trump doesn’t need to be in a swing state to influence voters.
“He’s got a message for all of his suburbs about American values, and Nassau County’s the first suburb in America,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman claimed in an interview. “And it’s an apropos place to talk about the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Detroit, Phoenix and Atlanta, just to name a few.”
On the eve of the rally, Trump addressed residents of states with high taxes in a post on Truth Social, promising to reinstate the full deductibility of state and local taxes, previously capped under his administration.
Responding to D’Esposito’s praise of Trump’s commitment to remove the cap, Gillen pointed out that it was Trump who originally restricted the deduction.
The Democratic National Committee is countering Trump’s rally with digital ads and mobile billboards, criticizing Trump, JD Vance, and their Republican colleagues for their stance on reproductive health issues, including in vitro fertilization.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
