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TRUMP COURTS BLACK, HISPANIC VOTES IN SOUTH BRONX RALLY: NEW YORK IS 'GOING RED
VERY, VERY QUICKLY'

Trump recently said he thinks he could win New York, a blue state.

By
Kelsey Walsh
,
Lalee Ibssa
and
Soo Rin Kim
May 23, 2024, 10:49 PM ET
• 7 min read

Trump in unfriendly territoryHe made a campaign stop in the Democratic
stronghold of the Bronx, appealing to minority voters. ABC News' Christiane
Cordero reports on why Trump says he can turn New York red.Spencer Platt/Getty
Images

Former President Donald Trump pledged to turn New York red during a campaign
rally in deep-blue South Bronx, New York, on Thursday evening as he worked to
court the Hispanic and Black voters that make up a majority of the area's
population.

"I'm here tonight to declare that we are going to turn New York City around and
we are going to turn it around very, very quickly," he said to the crowd not
long after taking the stage.



Several thousand Trump supporters turned up at Crotona Park in the South Bronx
for the former president's rally -- on a day off from his New York hush-money
trial -- where he gave his pitch for his supporters in New York to get out and
vote.

"If you want to help, you must vote. I believe that we can win New York State,"
he said. " We have levels of support that nobody's seen before. … Don't assume
it doesn't matter just because you live in a blue city. You live in a blue city,
but it's going red very, very quickly."


Former President Donald Trump arrives at a rally in the historical Democratic
district of the South Bronx on May 23, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by Spencer
Platt/Getty Images)Spencer Platt/Getty Images
MORE: Trump trial updates: Appeals court denies defense's bid for judge's
recusal

Throughout his speech, which lasted around an hour and a half, the former
president touched on a number of his campaign talking points, including bringing
up crime in the city, his plans to deport undocumented immigrants, and praise
for China's President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It would be a challenge for Trump to take New York -- a state that has voted for
the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1988.



Trump's visit on Thursday marked his fourth campaign stop in New York City
during his criminal trial. In the past couple of weeks, Trump has visited a
Harlem bodega, Manhattan construction site and paid tribute to first responders
in midtown Manhattan.

Trump is hoping to capitalize on Black and Hispanic voters -- a key demographic
that the candidates need to harness for a November win.

Trump's rally took place in New York's 15th congressional district, a diverse
and Democratic area. Anti-Trump protesters clashed with Trump supporters outside
of the rally.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, more than 50% of the population in the
district is Hispanic, 30% is Black or African American, and less than 10% is
white.

"I'm going to make a play for New Yorkers," Trump told reporters outside the
construction site of the new JP Morgan Chase Building in Midtown, Manhattan last
month. "Normally, a Democrat will win New York. Biden is the worst president in
history. We have some very bad people here, but we have the greatest people and
they're right behind me. They all want us to run, and we're going to run very
hard in New York."

President Joe Biden's campaign on Thursday launched a series of new TV and radio
ads that challenge Trump's claims about his accomplishments for the Black
community.

"Every halfhearted attempt by the Trump campaign to pander for Black and Latino
votes is another reminder that the candidate who stepped into public life
falsely accusing the Central Park 5, who stepped into political life by taking
the racist birther movement mainstream, who consistently demonizes and
dehumanizes Black and Latino communities has one true interest: regaining power
so he can enact revenge on his enemies," said Jasmine Harris, the Biden
campaign's Black media outreach director.

The New York Young Republicans are behind Trump's visit and organized outreach,
billboards and flyers promoting his event. Members of the group said they
distributed nearly 2,000 flyers around the city Wednesday.


Supporters of former President Donald Trump watch as he holds a rally in the
historical Democratic district of the South Bronx on May 23, 2024 in New York
City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Spencer Platt/Getty Images
MORE: Trump campaign accuses Secret Service of 'critical flaw' in RNC convention
planning

"We're very excited because not only has this been well received, but it's been
encouraged by local people and local constituents," said Adam Solis, chairman of
the New York Young Republican Black Caucus and co-chairman of the New York Young
Republican Hispanic Caucus.

Solis said he views Trump as a prominent New York fixture and that he hopes to
galvanize several of his community members and neighbors.

"Every single human, warm-blooded American in this country, understood that he
was the epitome of success," Solis said of Trump. "He was an incredible
businessman. He was business savvy. And if there was something that needed to
get done, he could get it done."

Crotona Park is located a few blocks away from Democratic Rep. Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez's home district. Trump's visit was anticipated to be met with a
counter-demonstration led by Bronx Democrats and liberal activists at the other
end of Crotona Park.

Democratic Assemblywoman Amanda Septimo, who represents the Bronx, said people
"will not stand by as Donald Trump tries to distort what our community and its
residents represent. Instead, we will come together and tell our own story."

New York is a Democratic stronghold – joining California and Illinois – with the
plurality of voters in New York State registered with the Democratic Party.

In another layer of drama to Thursday evening, thunderstorms are expected in New
York while both events are taking place in the Bronx.

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