Trump announced a rally in the South Bronx. Dems are planning a counter-demonstration
When former President Donald Trump announced he would hold a rally in the South Bronx, New York Democrats decided the presumptive Republican nominee would not do so without opposition.
The two camps will face off at Crotona Park, where both events will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 23. The Trump campaign said he plans to discuss inflation, the migrant crisis, and crime during President Joe Biden’s term in his remarks. State Democratic Assemblywoman Amanda Septimo, alongside civil rights activist and Rev. Kirsten John Foy, invited community members to gather at the opposite end of the park for an event called “Trump isn't welcome in the Bronx.”
“Trump holding a campaign rally in the South Bronx and not getting an answer from us” “Septimo wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Not on my watch.”
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Why is Trump holding a rally in the South Bronx?
Despite living decades in his Trump Tower penthouse in New York City, Trump has declared Florida’s Mar-a-Lago his primary residence since 2019. Trump’s rally on Thursday will mark his first time in the state since 2016.
“The Empire State, a place near to President Trump’s heart, has been decimated by Biden,” The Trump campaign said in a statement. “President Trump will ease the financial pressures placed on households and re-establish law and order in New York.”
According to the Office of the New York State Comptroller, the South Bronx is predominantly Hispanic (64%) and Black (31%) residents — two groups Trump is struggling with in the polls. Among Hispanic voters, Trump lost 11 points since the beginning of the year, according to a USA TODAY/Suffolk poll.
Trump’s rally will come days before next week’s final arguments in his ongoing criminal trial, which will take place in a lower Manhattan courtroom on May 28. The first former president was indicted on 34 felony counts by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for allegedly falsifying business records ahead of the 2016 election to conceal hush money payments made to women who claim they had sexual relations with him, Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal.
Rachel Barber is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on politics and education. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, as @rachelbarber_
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: South Bronx Donald Trump rally will see Crotona Park protestors
