By Anna Broussard
This week, former President Donald Trump held a rally in New York City. Tens of thousands of supporters came out to a Bronx park, signaling to the nation that Trump has the potential to win even the deepest of blue states.
Trump, who is the first Republican candidate to campaign in NYC in decades, spoke of the tragedy that has become the city’s dangerous, violent, and crime-ridden streets.
For those in the diverse crowd, the sentiment was reciprocated. It seems a political realignment from blue to red is brewing in New York, and across the rest of the country.
If there is anything this rally indicates, it’s that people are tired of the failing policies of President Joe Biden’s administration. Inflation is hurting families in deep blue states just as well as red ones. And New Yorkers are fed up with immigration policies that put Americans last.
In Trump’s 90-minute speech, he recognized the financial struggles of the average working person, arguing the results of immigration policy and inflation have affected the working class the most. If elected, he vowed to work with Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and New York Mayor Eric Adams to ensure cleaner subways, cities, and streets.
“As usual, Donald Trump is wrong,” Adams spokesman Fabien Levy said. “We don’t need his insults, and we don’t need his help to turn New York City around because New York City is already back.”
But according to the New York Daily News, the attendees say otherwise.
“[Trump] is the only choice, because Biden has been a disaster,” Graham Smith, a retired truck driver from New Jersey, told the outlet. “How much does it cost you to fill up your car? How much does it cost you to buy groceries for your family?”
Another attendee, Sabrina Dixon, a security guard from the North Bronx and former skeptic of Trump, voiced her newfound support in a report from Axios.
“He is actually trying to do good for America,” she said.
Could it be possible for a Republican to win New York in November? Absolutely. If the deciding factor between Biden and Trump comes down to the cost of living, particularly in NYC, then the former president will have an undeniable advantage.
Inflation is hurting Americans, and they’re fed up with it. And regardless of their political preferences, people want safer cities and cheaper living conditions.
Democrats and the leftist media can try to distract voters from these issues, but Trump’s rally in the Bronx proves that blue states want America First economic policies just as much as red states.