Long Islanders have split feelings about former President Donald Trump’s appearance in Nassau County. Pro-Trump and Anti-Trump ralliers alike heckled one another outside of the Republican presidential candidate’s rally at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday — but despite tensions, no arrests were made.
Nassau County Democratic Party leaders kicked off the opposition protests with a group of current and former lawmakers rallying their party faithful seven hours before Trump took the stage. Nearby, the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association (PBA), the union that represents the department’s rank-and-file officers, led a pro-Trump tailgate party.
The Pro-Trump and Anti-Trump factions were but a few groups of supporters and critics that were out in force in Uniondale.
“Donald Trump has been no good for our property taxes, no good for affordability, and let’s not even get into women’s reproductive rights,” New York State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs, who also chairs the Nassau County Democratic Commmitee, told reporters before Trump supporters shouted at the news conference.
Of Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesto Gov. Tim Walz, Jacobs added, “They see America as I believe we see America … as a nation of possibilities, hope and progress.”
The event, which came days after Trump’s second attempted assassinaton in about two months, was the Republican presidential candidate’s first campaign rally on Long Island since 2016.
Police debunked internet rumors that authorities had found explosives outside of the venue. The cloud of suspicion underscored Trump supporters’ emphasis on public safety.
“We have two starkly different candidates when it comes to policing and public safety,” said Suffolk County PBA President Lou Civello. “We have one that supports the police, one that wants to keep our funding, and another that wants to cut our funding. Kamala Harris wants to defund us, plain and simple.”
Trump’s public safety message emphasized deporting undumented immigrants, but opponents blasted the GOP candidate for alleging that Haitian immigrants are eating Ohio residents’ pet cats and dogs — claims that Ohio officals have debunked and that Trump’s running mate JD Vance admitted he made up.
“We stand united against hate speech, lies, and making sure that this November we put people in office that bring us together and not divide us,” New York State Assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages (D-Elmont), who is Haitian, said.
Christine Morales, the wife of a police officer who attended the pro-Trump tailgate party, said she is more worried about making ends meet.
“I don’t know him as a person personally, but I don’t really care about all of that other stuff, as long as he’s gonna do good for us, as long as he’s gonna put more money in our pockets, and be good for our police,” she said.
“Because my husband’s police, my daughter’s in college, I have to make sure she’s safe. I just feel like he’ll put everything back into order again.”
Trump opponents counter that the fate of the nation is at stake due to comments Trump has made — such as telling a group of supporters in a speech that they’ll only have to vote one more time — suggesting that he aims to turn the presidency into a dictatorship, which he denies.
“Democracy’s on the ballot this year,” protester Jared Goerke of Plainview said. “It’s important to be here and stand up for our country.”
Protestors chanted “stop the lies,” “bump Trump,” “we’re not going back,” and “when we fight, we win.” They held signs that read “Send Trump a message in November, vote Democrat” and “GOP’s hard right turn wrong for Long Island.” All the while pro-Trump counter protestors waved flags behind the group of Democrats and shouted from behind.
Despite the clashes between Pro-Trump and Anti-Trump voices, some sought to rise above the division.
“Regardless of who wins — Harris or Trump — I would like to see more unity and I would like to see more understanding,” Sara Brady, of Boise, Idaho, said outside the coliseum. “Not necessarily more agreement, but more understanding of people’s perspectives.”
