Trump Holds New York Rally, First Since 2nd Assassination Attempt

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Attendees at the Long Island rally shared their reactions to the attempted assassination at the Trump Golf Course on Sunday.

UNIONDALE, N.Y.—Former President Donald Trump will hold his first full rally since surviving a second apparent assassination attempt over the weekend.

The rally will be held in Uniondale, a city on Republican-leaning Long Island in the deep-blue state of New York. Long Island is home to several highly competitive congressional districts that could determine control of the House in the next Congress.

Ahead of the event, a large crowd had already assembled at the venue, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which seats around 13,000 people. Most seats were filled.

The rally comes just three days after an apparent assassination attempt was averted by the Secret Service at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida, and marks his first major rally since the event. On Sept. 17, Trump held a town hall in Flint Michigan, where he told attendees that he had received “very nice” calls from both President Joe Biden and Harris after the incident.

The failed plot was top of mind for attendees.

William Diver, a 70-year-old from Farmingville, New York, called the attempted assassination “disgusting” and expressed hope that the federal government could find answers to the events that unfolded that day.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii has been charged with two federal gun crimes over the incident, with further charges expected as both federal and state authorities probe the case.

Others questioned the adequacy of the Secret Service’s protective measures. The agency has been under intense scrutiny since the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, two months ago, which increased after the Florida incident.

“It was terrible. It was horrible,” attendee Ariel Kohan said when asked about the recent attempt on Trump’s life.

“The Secret Service has to step up and do a much better job. But, you know, like, thank God for that one secret service agent that saw the barrel of the gun sticking out of the shrub,” Kohan added, referencing the Secret Service agent who noticed a rifle sticking through the fence at the golf course and immediately began to open fire.

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump visits a cryptocurrency-themed bar called Pubkey in the West Village on Sept. 18, 2024 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) — Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump visits a cryptocurrency-themed bar called Pubkey in the West Village on Sept. 18, 2024 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Acting Service Service Director Ronald Rowe defended the agency’s measures at the golf course, calling them “effective.” President Joe Biden acknowledged that the agency “needs more help,” and suggested that Congress consider giving them more funding. Congressional leaders are mulling providing additional funds.

Though New York last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in President Ronald Reagan’s landslide 1984 victory, Trump said in a post on Truth Social ahead of the rally, “We have a real chance of winning [New York] for the first time in many decades.”

Trump promised in that post that he would “get SALT back,” referencing the state and local tax (SALT) federal deduction that’s important to residents of high-tax states like New York and New Jersey. Under Trump’s 2017 tax legislation, SALT deductions were capped at $10,000 per filer.

Some Republicans have pushed for getting rid of the deduction altogether, though New York Republicans are generally supportive of uncapping it.

Polling shows that the state, despite Trump’s optimism, is likely to be won by Vice President Kamala Harris in November.

Recent polling shows that Harris has between an 11 and 17 percent edge in the state—though this falls well short of President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory, when he won by around 23 points.

But Republicans have seen a much stronger performance on Long Island, where the party controls three of the island’s four House seats—seats that could be crucial in ensuring a Republican-led House for Trump should he regain the White House.

Earlier the same day, fears arose regarding a reported bomb threat near the area.

Police said in a statement that the threat was unfounded, and said an individual was in custody for the claim.

The rally comes after the 1.3 million member Teamsters Union announced that it wouldn’t make an endorsement for president for the first time since 1966.

Trump marketed the decision as a win for Republicans, calling it “a big thing” that the powerful union wasn’t endorsing Democrats.