NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump visited one of the country’s most Democratic counties on Thursday night, receiving a warm welcome from a diverse crowd of several thousand at a rally in Crotona Park, South Bronx.
The attendees, comprising white, Hispanic, black, and Asian individuals, represented a more varied demographic than typically seen at Trump’s campaign events.
Cristian Ramos, a Bronx local originally from Ecuador, expressed his disenchantment with the Democratic Party, citing former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and declared his intention to vote for Trump.
“We want it back to Republican area, and Bronx could turn blue to red,” Ramos said.
Ramos, who owns a mobile phone repair business, criticized de Blasio for failing to communicate with the prisons and the police department, leading to a poor relationship.
“After that, all that happened is a lot of people do whatever they want on the street, on the train, in the subway and the bus stations,” he said.
Jewish New Yorkers, including several from the Hasidic community, were also present.
Ariel Kohane expressed confidence in Trump’s chances, stating, “Trump’s gonna win New York. He’s gonna win 49 or 50 states. His poll numbers are showing that he’s very close in New York and New Jersey.”
Trump’s surprising visit to this Democratic stronghold aimed at attracting black and Hispanic voters, groups with whom his opponent, President Joe Biden, has struggled to maintain support as per recent polls.
“Who said we’re not gonna win New York? We’re gonna win New York so big,” Trump declared to enthusiastic applause. “You know if we win New York, we win the whole thing. Wouldn’t it be nice?”
New York has not voted for a Republican president since Ronald Reagan in 1984. Although Trump has captured nearly 40% of the vote in the last two elections, his Bronx visit signals his ambition to flip New York. The Bronx had the second highest percentage of Biden votes in New York State in 2020, second only to Manhattan.
Trump lost the Bronx by nearly 70 points in the last election but slightly less so compared to 2016, indicating his growing appeal in an area with many poor and working-class residents.
Although Trump was on unusual rally ground in the Bronx, where the population is predominantly Hispanic and black, he seemed comfortable, often referencing his New York roots throughout the event.
Renowned initially as a New York real estate tycoon, Trump nostalgically detailed his involvement in renovating the Wollman Rink in Central Park, the “magnificent, world-class golf course” at Ferry Point, and Grand Central Terminal.
“I was very much responsible for the Jacob Javits Convention Center, where Hillary Clinton was going to have her big evening. That was not good. Remember?” Trump reminisced, prompting chants of “Lock her up!”
Juana, a woman who spoke little English, was more skeptical about Trump’s chances of turning New York red.
“Maybe no,” she said when asked if she thought it was possible. “But we happy because he’s here,” she added.
Trump’s rally took place as his high-profile criminal trial in Manhattan nears its conclusion. With the trial on a weeklong break, Trump has spent nearly six weeks as a defendant in the hush money case, and a jury will soon deliberate.
Signs and T-shirts depicting Trump’s viral mugshot from a separate criminal case in Georgia were noticeable throughout the rally crowd.
Asked what one attendee, Manhattan resident Lawrence Garcia, thought of the New York trial, Garcia quickly responded, “Oh, bull****.”
During court sessions, Trump has frequently criticized Judge Juan Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, labeling the case a Biden-orchestrated witch hunt. However, at the rally in the city where his legal fate will soon be decided, Trump only briefly mentioned the trial during his two-hour speech.
Trump instead focused on key issues relevant to the attendees, including the economy, border crisis, crime, and the condition of New York City subways, which he described as “squalid and unsafe.”
He promised to renovate the subway system, making it “the most beautiful transit system anywhere in the world.”
Despite his presence, not everyone welcomed Trump in the solidly blue area. A counter rally with significant attendance took place nearby.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), a Bronx Democrat, accused Trump of bringing in outsiders for his rally.
“Donald Trump’s rally may be IN the South Bronx but it is not OF the South Bronx,” Torres said. “Bluntly put, the Trump transplants are much whiter than the locals of the South Bronx, which is almost entirely Latino and Black.”
