Trump Comes to Rockland

For the first time since Gerald Ford’s visit to the Rockland County Courthouse in 1976, a sitting U.S. president has visited Rockland County. Friday, May 23rd, saw current president Donald Trump hold a rally in Rockland County at the RCC fieldhouse in Ramapo. Doors to the event opened at 12:00, with thousands of people from across the NY metro area in attendance. 

The theme of the event focused on turning New York red. The president spoke for over an hour and a half about various topics, starting with what he felt to be policy failures in New York. The president lamented the idea of wealthy New Yorkers moving out of the state and New York City  for greener pastures in Florida or Tennessee. 

Following Trump’s speech on perceived policy failures, President Trump bragged about the cognitive test he took to prove he wasn’t “dumb.” He told the crowd, “I don’t mind being called a brilliant tyrant dictator, but I don’t want to be called dumb.” He then proceeded to call the democratic party “dumb-ocrats,” taking care to remind the crowd that dumb is spelled with a b at the end, while expressing frustration over the fact that not a single democrat voted for his tax-cutting policies.

Throughout the course of the rally, President Trump bragged about his policy accomplishments and diplomatic wins during his second term. He spoke about an executive order banning investment firms from buying up single-family homes, and his recent trip to China to meet with Xi Jinping. President Trump, along with Congressman Lawler, also spoke on the recent State and Local Tax deduction, or the SALT deduction, tax cuts on businesses, and tax cuts for those receiving social security. The president called Congressman Lawler “Mr. SALT” with the congressman remarking that it’s the nicest nickname the president has ever given someone.

Welles Crowther, who many may know as “the man in the red bandana,” was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the president for his role in saving 18 people from the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11th. Welles’ mother, Allison, was invited to speak to the crowd. She thanked the president, imploring the crowd to remember her son’s bravery. Mrs. Crowther also thanked the New York Times for their role in publicizing Welles’ heroism. President Trump remarked, “They grow up heroic here,” referring to people from Rockland County. Read more about Welles and his heroic actions in Gillian’s article on Page 7. 

The President also attacked undocumented immigrants and praised his own Save America Act, which would mandate voter ID, a policy that has been criticized as a way to suppress voters. The United States does not issue standard identification, unlike many other countries; instead, the government relies on driver’s licenses or passports as the main form of government-issued ID. Many lack a driver’s license or a passport for a myriad of reasons, including poverty, lack of access, or a lifestyle that doesn’t involve driving or traveling outside the country. This means that if voter ID laws were to be passed at the federal level, many registered voters would lose out on their ability to cast a ballot in November. According to the League of Women Voters, a grassroots network fighting to expand voter access, when Texas passed a voter ID law in 2013, over 600,000 registered voters became ineligible to cast a ballot that following November. 

The specter of the NY-17 congressional race haunted the room. No specific candidates were mentioned by name, but Congressman Lawler and President Trump alluded to the race and Congressman Lawler’s potential to be ousted come November. Congressional hopefuls like Beth Davidson, Effie Phillips-Staley, and Mike Sacks appeared at one of many protests across Rockland and the Hudson Valley that day. Many protests were held in response to the president’s visit, including a protest along College Road, across from RCC, and along Route 59 in Nanuet. 

Several people were escorted out of the rally itself for interrupting the president in protest. One woman was escorted out who held up a sign that said: “Help save my Ukrainian fiancé now!” A second protester loudly booed the president while invading the press pool. A third loudly protested the president’s immigration policies, catching his attention and prompting the president to say, “Send him home to his mommy.” All protesters were escorted from the building by police. 

Trump’s rally in Rockland displayed the political divides in our community. Both supporters and protesters were sure to make their voices heard. With the primary vote taking place in one month, the election results from our battleground district of NY-17 could help reverse the current mandate of power given to the republican party by voters in 2024. Republicans hold slight majorities in both the House and the Senate. Congressman Lawler’s position is in trouble, with NY-17 being one of the only purple districts in the state of New York. Only time will tell if the recent visit from the president will help or hurt the congressman’s chances.