President Donald Trump returned to his once-home state Friday to campaign on behalf of Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman and U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler.
Speaking to the friendly crowd at Rockland Community College, the president touted his agenda in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, derided trans athletes, and denied losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
"You know we're a three-term president," he said. "We just don't want the results. We won three times, but we only want the results of the first and the third."
Some protesters at the rally were carried off by security.
The president also said New York is in rough shape under Democratic rule.
"Unfortunately, in recent years, the state's been held back by bad policies, bad politicians, and foolish radical left idiocy," he said. "It's crazy what's going on."
Blakeman, the Nassau County Executive, is running against Governor Kathy Hochul this November.
Hochul is leading Blakeman in the polls by double digits, but Trump said Blakeman has the ability to defy expectations.
"Years ago, he ran in Nassau [County]. They said, 'You gotta be kidding, it doesn't happen. No Republican wins in Nassau,' and he ran and he won," he said. "You better watch yourself, Kathy. You got a big race."
A campaign spokesperson for Hochul said Blakeman and Trump shared the stage Friday “to make sure every New Yorker knows that a vote for Blakeman is a vote for Trump’s higher costs, higher gas prices, and less healthcare.”
Trump’s trip to the Hudson Valley came as New York voters remain sour on the president.
According to a recent Siena poll, nearly two-thirds of voters view him unfavorably, though in downstate suburbs, he’s a bit more popular with 41% approval.
Steve Kelly, a longtime Rockland resident attending the rally, said he appreciates Trump's positions on Israel and immigration, and said Trump is misrepresented in the media.
"So whatever he does is going to be wrong with the media, and that's a problem," he said. "I mean, he's doing a good job, and not everything's perfect. You know, he's got a hard job, some of the things he does are not right, but offhand, I'm not going to pick on anything he's done. I think he's going about it right."
In his remarks about Lawler, the president referred to the lower Hudson Valley congressman as “Mr. Salt.” The two-term representative from New York’s 17th Congressional District was part of a small group of Republican lawmakers who pushed to raise the cap on state and local tax deductions from $10,000 to $40,000.
Lawler, who is running for re-election in a district that went for Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, often touts himself as one of the most bipartisan lawmakers in Congress.
He spoke about his willingness to find compromise during Friday’s rally.
"I'm a Republican who actively works with common-sense Democrats on key issues, someone who is not afraid to challenge his own party's leaders when I believe they are wrong or acting against the interests of the Hudson Valley," he said. "[I'm] someone who understands that to get things done in Congress, in either party, you need to have a strong working relationship with the President of the United States."
When addressing ongoing affordability concerns, Lawler placed the blame on Democrats and illegal immigrants.
The Republican promised to continue to bring down taxes for New Yorkers, restore common sense, and reopen the Indian Point nuclear facility in Westchester County.
He encouraged Hudson Valley residents to vote against the Democratic Party, saying they are driven by "anger and hatred."
The Hudson Valley congressional district is expected to be hotly contested in the fall midterms.
Several Democrats are seeking to reclaim the seat. Prior to Lawler’s election in 2022, the district was represented by Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney.
"The fact is - I do have a strong working relationship, and in part it's why [Trump is] here today, and about to deliver remarks," Lawler said. "Because of that relationship with the President and across the aisle, I've delivered for the Hudson Valley in a way that no member of Congress has been able to in generations."
