A rally for former President Donald Trump drew a large crowd at Crotona Park in the Bronx on Thursday night.
In the 2020 election, Trump won only 16% of the vote in the Bronx, a Democratic stronghold. Despite this, Trump — in the city for his criminal hush money trial in Manhattan — used a recess in the trial to campaign for support in his presidential bid.
In his speech, Trump criticized the current state of the city.
The former president said he could “make New York City great again,” touting his prior accomplishments in the city as a real estate developer, including helping build Wollman Rink in Central Park and the Javits Center.
A group of counter-protesters, including elected officials and members of labor unions, rallied against what they described as Trump’s divisive rhetoric at the event.
Some politicians had previously voiced opposition to Trump’s stop in the Bronx, calling it a political stunt. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez labeled it a “fundraising tactic” in an interview on “Mornings on 1” Thursday.
In an interview on CNN Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul asserted that New York will never support Donald Trump for president.
Trump is under a gag order during his hush money trial, which resumes on Tuesday. Although he had previously violated the order multiple times, Trump kept mostly quiet about his feelings on the proceedings during the Bronx rally.
