UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Former President Donald Trump was hailed by thousands of supporters on Long Island on Wednesday night, claiming a recent assassination attempt has “hardened his resolve” and predicting he will become the first Republican candidate to win New York state in 40 years.
“Those close encounters with death have not broken my will,” the 78-year-old Republican presidential candidate told about 16,000 fans at Nassau Coliseum, three days after a gunman was found hiding in bushes at his eponymous Florida golf course while Trump was playing.
“They've given me a really big, strong mission. They've only strengthened my resolve to use my time on Earth to make America great again and put America first for all Americans,” added Trump, whose ear was also grazed by an assassin's bullet at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.
The former president said of the assassination attempt, “This is the second in eight weeks by a violent, far-left gang.”
“This evil assassin came within a few to a hundred yards of where I was standing, but fortunately our good Secret Service agents, they're really good, found the barrel of his rifle in the bushes. Can you believe it?”
“The reason I'm here is to win New York,” Trump reminded the cheering crowd.
“This is the first time in years that Republicans can honestly say that, and we will,” Trump added. He made a similar claim in 2020, when he lost to then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden by more than 23 percentage points.
“We have to do it. We do it and the national election is over. We will take the White House and we will rebuild our country,” the former president told the crowd made up of New Yorkers and residents of neighboring states.
At least one woman was so excited that she exposed her breasts while jumping up and down in the stands, then left the scene before being taken away by police.
“I say to the people of New York, with crime at record levels, with terrorists and criminals on the run, with inflation plaguing you, vote for Donald Trump. What do you have to lose?” he said, repeating the question he had asked black voters and traditionally Democratic voters.
Regarding illegal immigrants in New York, Trump said, “We've got to get these people out. If you give me a chance, within three months you will have a safe New York. For all New Yorkers who are threatened by the immigrant crime wave, November 5th will be a day of emancipation, because you are living in hell.”
The Washington Post heard attendees say that while Trump must win the election, they feared that the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, would ultimately win somehow.
One of the rally attendees was Marlene Rowe, 48, an avid fan from Harrison, New York, who showed up wearing white cowboy boots, denim shorts and a T-shirt that read, “Yes I'm a Trump Girl. Get Over It!”
“He's doing his best for us and this is the least we can do for him. He got shot once and almost got shot a second time and he never wavered for a second. Of course I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to see him up close and maybe even get him to sign my hat,” she said.
Patrick Hill, 28, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, told The Washington Post that Trump “was supposed to die twice and he died again. You can't kill the man. Trump lives!”
“Come on, let's help him take this country back, close the borders and undo the damage Biden has done to us over the last three-plus years.”
In a seeming show of goodwill, President Trump said he bore no grudge against New York state officials for filing civil and criminal charges against him and vowed to work with them to improve the quality of life in New York state.
“Despite all the persecution I've received from New York's corrupt justice system, I love the people of this state and I want to give back,” added Trump, who was convicted on May 30 of falsifying business records to hide hush money payments.
“I'm going to lower your taxes, I'm going to lower crime, I'm going to lower your stress levels,” he continued.
“All I'm going to increase is your income, and your love for your state will be rekindled.”
Republicans said in a poll released Wednesday afternoon by the Teamsters union. Approximately 60% Fifty percent of union members supported his candidacy against Harris.
“I'm honored to have the endorsement of the rank and file Teamsters members. I love the Teamsters,” Trump said.
Typically, he said, “They automatically support Democrats. For decades, automatically. But they [Harris]' And they said, 'Sorry, we're not going there.' They're tough people.”
In his speech, Trump slammed Harris for her performance on issues such as the US-Mexico border, but he also admitted that he had not read his wife's upcoming book, “Melania,” because he was “too busy,” and entertained the audience by saying, “If my wife says anything bad about me, I'll call you guys and say, 'Don't believe it.'”
The 45th president also announced he was preparing to visit Aurora, Colorado, where Venezuelan gangs have been terrorizing residents, and Springfield, Ohio, which has been inundated with Haitian migrants after Trump falsely said they were eating dogs and cats.
Trump, who is trailing Harris in national and battleground state polls, at one point cited surveys showing him leading by 5 percentage points. “I'll be honest with you, we should be leading by 35 percentage points. Some people just can't break old habits. That's the way it is,” he said.
“God has just saved my life. It has to be God, thank you. Not once, but twice,” Trump said.
“We will achieve the greatest victory in history by doing this. It will become legendary.”
