Trump hails lawmakers who arrested suspect in attempted murder
Donald Trump welcomed the Martin County Sheriff and eight of his deputies to Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump is expected to make the two recent assassination attempts a key part of his election campaign.
“These brushes with death have not broken my will,” Trump said Wednesday at a rally on Long Island in New York. “In fact, they have given me a much greater and stronger mission. They have only strengthened my resolve to use my time on earth to make America great again for all Americans.”
As he did at a town hall meeting in Michigan on Tuesday, Trump spoke at length about the July 13 shooting during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the arrest of a man on Sunday who pointed a rifle at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
While lawmakers criticized the Secret Service’s performance, Trump again praised Florida’s security and law enforcement officials and again invoked a higher power at his rally at the old sports arena in Uniondale, New York.
“God spared my life…not once, but twice,” Trump said.
Further findings from Long Island:
Towards Springfield
Trump said he wanted to visit Springfield, Ohio, the site of the migrant conflict that produced the most memorable moment of last week’s debate with Harris. Trump falsely claimed that Haitian migrants in the city were eating dogs and cats, but there is no evidence that this ever happened.
“I’m going there in the next two weeks,” Trump told his supporters on Long Island. “I’m going to Springfield.”
Trump also said he plans to travel to Aurora, Colorado, where another migrant conflict has already occurred involving misinformation.
“I love the Teamsters”
Trump played up the good news from the Teamsters while exaggerating the union’s actions.
“It was an honor to receive the support of the rank-and-file members of the Teamsters,” Trump said. However, the union itself announced that it would not officially support him or his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Teamsters have released internal polling data showing that most of their members support Trump.
The leadership’s decision to remain neutral was a setback for Harris and the Democrats – much to Trump’s delight.
“I love the Teamsters,” Trump said.
Iran hack resurfaces
Trump seized on – and twisted – the news that Iran had hacked his campaign and attempted to pass information about his campaign to people associated with then-President Joe Biden’s campaign.
The former president falsely claimed that “Biden is working with Iran,” adding that “Iran doesn’t exactly like me.” He said Iran stole campaign materials and “gave them to the Biden campaign,” but that did not happen.
In a statement, Harris-Waltz spokesman Morgan Finkelstein said the campaign had been cooperating with authorities since learning that “individuals associated with the then Biden campaign team were among the intended victims of this foreign influence operation.”
New York: Mission Impossible?
Trump used his appearance on Long Island to boast about a possible victory in New York State in November – a nearly impossible task if the polls are to be believed.
Despite being a native New Yorker, Trump received less than 37 percent of the vote in the Empire State in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. No Republican candidate has won New York State since President Ronald Reagan in 1984.
On the other hand, New York could certainly play a role in the race for the majority in the US House of Representatives. There are several contested congressional districts there.
Why Long Island?
The rally on Long Island was originally planned as the first event following Trump’s conviction in the New York hush money trial. The verdict was scheduled for Wednesday, July 18.
At the beginning of the month, however, the judge postponed the verdict until after election day, November 5.
A national memorial to the September 11 attacks
While discussing New York issues, Trump paid tribute to the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and praised the police, firefighters and emergency personnel who responded.
Trump said that if elected, he would declare Ground Zero – the former site of the destroyed World Trade Center – an official national monument to be maintained by the U.S. government.
“So that this sacred ground – and the memory of those who perished there – will be preserved for all time, forever,” Trump said.
