Former President Donald Trump vowed to paint New York red Thursday evening at a campaign rally in deep blue South Bronx, New York, as he worked to court Hispanic and Black voters who make up the majority of the area’s population to take.
“I’m here tonight to declare that we are going to change New York City and we are going to change it very, very quickly,” he told the audience not long after taking the stage.
Several thousand Trump supporters descended on Crotona Park in the South Bronx for the former president’s rally — on a day off from his hush-money trial in New York — where he gave his supporters in New York his say to vote.
“If you want to help, you have to vote. I believe we can win New York state,” he said. “We have a level of support that no one has seen before. … Don’t assume that just because you live in a blue city it doesn’t matter. You live in a blue city, but it turns red very, very quickly .”
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During his speech, which lasted about an hour and a half, the former president addressed a number of talking points from his campaign, including addressing crime in the city, his plans to deport undocumented immigrants, and praise for the Chinese president Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It would be a challenge for Trump to take New York – a state that has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1988.
Trump’s visit on Thursday marked his fourth campaign stop in New York City during his criminal trial. In recent weeks, Trump has visited a bodega construction site in Manhattan’s Harlem and paid tribute to first responders in downtown Manhattan.
Trump hopes to capitalize on black and Hispanic voters — a key demographic group that candidates must leverage for a victory in November.
Trump’s rally took place in New York’s 15th Congressional District, a diverse and Democratic area. Anti-Trump protesters clashed with Trump supporters outside the rally.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, more than 50% of the county’s population is Hispanic, 30% is black or African American, and less than 10% is white.
“I’m going to put on a play for New Yorkers,” Trump told reporters last month outside the construction site of the new JP Morgan Chase Building in Midtown, Manhattan. “Normally a Democrat will win New York. Biden is the worst president in history. We have some very bad people here, but we have the best people and they are right behind me. They all want us to run, and we’re going to run really fast in New York.”
President Joe Biden’s campaign launched a series of new TV and radio ads Thursday that question Trump’s claims about his achievements for the Black community.
“Every half-hearted attempt by the Trump campaign to pander to Black and Latino votes is another reminder that the candidate who entered public life falsely accusing Central Park, who entered political life by racist birther movement mainstream, which consistently demonizes and Dehumanizing Black and Latino communities has one real interest: regaining power so he can take revenge on his enemies,” said Jasmine Harris, Biden’s Director of Black Media Outreach -campaign.
The New York Young Republicans are behind Trump’s visit and organized outreach, billboards and flyers to promote his event. Members of the group said they distributed nearly 2,000 flyers throughout the city on Wednesday.
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“We are very excited because this has not only been well received, but encouraged by locals and local voters,” said Adam Solis, chairman of the New York Young Republican Black Caucus and co-chair of the New York Young Republican. Hispanic caucus.
Solis said he views Trump as a prominent figure in New York and hopes to galvanize some of his community members and neighbors.
“Every human, warm-blooded American in this country understood that he was the epitome of success,” Solis said of Trump. “He was an incredible businessman. He knew his stuff. And when something needed to be done, he could get it done.”
Crotona Park is a few blocks from Democratic Rep.’s home district. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Trump’s visit was expected to be accompanied by a counter-demonstration led by Bronx Democrats and liberal activists on the other side of Crotona Park.
Democratic Congressional Representative Amanda Septimo said people “will not stand by as Donald Trump tries to distort what our community and its residents represent. Instead, we will come together and tell our own story.”
New York is a Democratic stronghold – joining California and Illinois – and the majority of voters in New York State are registered with the Democratic Party.
In another layer of drama on Thursday evening, thunderstorms are expected in New York, while both events take place in the Bronx.
Trump advocates for Black, Hispanic votes at South Bronx rally: New York is going red ‘very, very quickly’ originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
