Tomorrow’s Nassau County Trump rally has politicians sparring over how to best handle the added strain on county resources.
The rally, at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, will be former president Donald Trump’s first large public event since Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt. The Republican presidential candidate announced the rally on Sept. 11, the day after his debate against Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder assured Long Islanders that on the day of Trump’s rally, the county will be the “safest place in the country.” The NCPD will be assisting Secret Service in securing Trump and the rally-goers.
Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove), the Democratic minority leader of the county legislature, says that Blakeman has avoided answering just how much the Nassau County Trump rally will cost taxpayers in police overtime in order to host his “political idol.”
“Bruce Blakeman has provided no meaningful information to residents about the impact of Donald Trump’s visit,” DeRiggi-Whitton said in a statement on Sept. 16.
“This lack of communication leaves Nassau residents in the dark about specific road closures, security measures, and logistical planning for an event that will inevitably cause significant disruption,” she added. “This visit is a private political event, and there’s no reason Nassau County taxpayers should foot the bill.”
She called on Blakeman to “stop hiding behind empty statements,” and to provide residents with more detailed information about how they will be affected by the rally.
The county legislator also demanded that the Trump campaign reimpurse the police department for the overtime expenses that the rally will incur.
“Our residents should not be forced to pay for the political whims of County Executive Blakeman or Donald Trump,” she said.
DeRiggi-Whitton’s statement didn’t sit well with Patrick Mullaney (R-Long Beach), the chair of the county legislature’s Public Safety Committee. Her comments, he said in a statement following hers on Sept. 16, was “not only misguided but also unneccesarily rude.”
Nassau County has hosted national events in the past, like this summer’s World Cricket Tournament. Mullaney said the county’s track record proves it is adept at managing a large-scale occassion like the Trump rally. A lack of complete transparency is standard practice when it comes events that bring heightened security risks, he said.
“Public safety remains the top priority, and withholding certain details, such as road closures and security plans, is standard procedure for events of this magnitude,” Mullaney said in a statement.
“Implying that Nassau residents are uninformed or incapable of understanding the impact of such an event is both insulting and dismissive,” he added. “Common sense dictates avoiding the area unless necessary.”
The Nassau County Trump rally is the largest county event in recent memory, with 60,000 people already signed up to attend, according to county officials.
The Nassau County Police Department, on Sept. 17, advised residents in and near Uniondale to expect “heavier than usual traffic” near the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum beginning tommorow at 3 p.m., which is when doors open for the rally. Motorists should expect delays, the statement said, and use alternate routes whenever possible.
The Nassau County Trump rally will begin at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 3 p.m..
