Last night, MAGA supporters from Long Island gathered at the Nassau County Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale to give President Trump, a native New Yorker, a hero’s welcome. The event occurred just three days after the second assassination attempt on his life in the past two months. Nearly twenty thousand filled the venue to its maximum capacity, while estimates suggest that two to three times that number were unable to make it inside. Those who attended were treated to a classic performance from the 45th and aspiring 47th president.
From the outset of his high-energy, rip-roaring speech, President Trump made his intentions for this rare Republican visit to New York—his second in the past four months—abundantly clear: “The reason I’m here is because it hasn’t been done in many decades. It hasn’t been done for a long time. But we are going to win New York.”
Trump addressed the pervasive narrative regarding Republican chances in the Empire State. “When I told some people in Washington I was going up to New York, they said, ‘What do you mean New York? You can’t ever win, nobody can win, Republicans can’t win.’” But Trump’s message is resonating with those across the state who have long been harmed by the consequences of radical left rule, and echoes the same question he posed nationwide eight years ago when he first emerged as a political outsider: “What do you have to lose?”
Not since the 1980s has a Republican won the general election in New York. Ronald Reagan achieved this by capitalizing on the key crises attributed to the failures of the Carter administration. Fast forward to today, and the Harris-Biden administration presides over even more historically severe crises, including unaffordable prices due to high inflation and illegal immigration, which has led to a rise in crime. These issues are felt across the entire country, but perhaps most acutely in New York.
For example, the cost of living in New York is now 26% higher than the national average, while housing costs are a staggering 75% above the national average. This means that the crippling inflation brought on by the Harris-Biden administration is hitting the Empire State even harder.
Regarding the increase in migrant crime, recent estimates indicate that 75 percent of arrests in Midtown Manhattan and over 60 percent in Queens involve illegal immigrants. Trump criticized New York’s liberal leadership’s negligence for failing to address this escalating issue, which has resulted in countless New Yorkers becoming victims. He provided graphic details of several disturbing crimes committed by illegal immigrants, including one instance in which a released offender in Queens threatened two thirteen-year-old girls with a machete before brutally raping them in the woods. He also mentioned fallen NYPD officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed during a traffic stop by an illegal immigrant who had been previously arrested 21 times. Trump placed the blame on Kamala Harris, suggesting that her role as border czar has contributed to the chaos in New York, as her policies have allowed many illegal immigrants to settle in the state, leading to the destruction of countless families through the lives they have taken.
Trump also demonstrated his ability to focus on specific messaging around key issues while blending in his personal, off-the-cuff remarks that endear him to his supporters, making this rally a vintage Trump performance. He likened himself to Elvis Presley without the guitar, shared stories about enjoying 12-cent hamburgers at White Castle with his father while they worked together in Brooklyn, and contrasted how his parents used to drop him off at the subway station to go to school with how dangerous that would be today. Trump also struck a deeply personal note with the New York crowd by announcing his intention to designate Ground Zero, the site of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, as a national monument.
This was also the first rally following the second assassination attempt on President Trump’s life in two months. He acknowledged that “God has spared his life” and emphasized that these encounters with death “have not broken my will… they have only hardened my resolve to use my time on earth to Make America Great Again for all Americans.” He then vowed to bring religion back to America, a recent promise that continues to draw thunderous applause.
For Trump, actively campaigning in New York is a win-win scenario. In the worst case, it drives turnout that helps down-ballot races and forces Democrats to divert time and resources to defend a state they typically take for granted. In the best case—and yes, a possible scenario—he wins the state, sending shockwaves across the nation and potentially securing the election with that victory alone.
When conditions are as dire as they are across the U.S. right now, it’s unwise to underestimate the level of dissatisfaction among the masses, even in traditionally blue states. Republicans in New York are frustrated, and even Democrat voters, who have repeatedly supported their underperforming elected officials without seeing meaningful results, seem to be reaching a breaking point. This discontent, combined with Lee Zeldin’s recent gubernatorial bid, where he lost by just six points instead of the usual double-digit margin for Republicans, and Chuck Schumer’s failure to surpass 60% for the first time since his initial Senate election, makes Trump’s declaration—’I can win New York, we can win New York, we are going to win New York’—not as far-fetched as it might seem.
If any Republican can flip New York, it would be the native one, whose proven track record as president, coupled with indictments, convictions, and survived assassination attempts, has shown his unwavering commitment to Making America Great Again for ALL Americans for many years to come.
Matt Kane graduated from Stony Brook University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. His work has been posted by President Trump and published by Real Clear Politics, The Gateway Pundit, Human Events, American Thinker, and AMAC. Follow on X/Twitter: @MattKaneUSA, Truth Social: @MattKane