LONG ISLAND, NY — Thousands headed to former President Donald Trump’s rally on Long Island Wednesday, waving flags, wearing red, white and blue, chanting “USA” gathering in solidarity for the event, where Trump vowed to the crowd that he’d fight to win the long-held bastion of blue with his promise of making the streets safe, bolstering the economy and turning the United States into a “manufacturing superpower.”
Throughout his speech, during which Trump elicited cheers from the crowd and laughter as he used a line made popular in “The Apprentice” — “Kamala, you’re fired. Get out!” — the approximately 16,000 viewing inside Nassau Coliseum were joined by the rest of the attendees gathered outside, watching the event on large screens, with the total number who gathered about 60,000.
Many traveled for miles and arrived in the early morning hours before 3 p.m., when the doors opened and Trump began his 90-plus minute speech at 7 p.m., tailgating and waiting patiently for the event to begin.
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Security was tight for the event, and concerns were raised when rumors of explosives were proven to be false.
But those who attended agreed that the event moved ahead without issues, despite a second Trump assassination attempt earlier in the week.
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Patch spoke with Long Islanders who traveled from near and far to be a part of the rally.
“It was an awesome rally,” said Samantha Mullen. “Great energy, everyone in a great mood. No issues — all unity. It was amazing and packed —so many people all having a great time. We got there early, and my friends were in line even earlier. So we had great seats and got in fast. By the time it started, I don’t think there was an empty seat.”
“The rally was amazing!” said Emilie Gabrielsen Powers of Jamesport. “We arrived around 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. The lines were very long but everyone was so friendly and talked with each other — they talked about their lives, their families and how excited they all were that Trump was on Long Island.”
She added: “We shared laughs, snacks and Trump talk. It was incredible, exciting and entertaining! People were starting USA chants, there were lots and lots of tents set up with vendors selling Trump items, food trucks — totally amazing.”
Powers said the crowd was excited to get inside to their seats. ” Thousands upon thousands of Trump supporters, all in line and all happy. Absolutely no issues, no craziness and no bashing, everyone was just so happy. It was an amazing night.”
The rally was Powers’ third, she said. “And it was by far the most incredible, probably because it was on Long Island and Trump spoke about several towns and shops in those towns that we all knew about and have been to! Just incredible and lots of fun.”
Dina Marrazzo said she came to the rally to fight against the issue of potential international trafficking and crime at the border. “I was there to support all the children,” she said.
She added that she “came to fight for my daughter’s future in her sport, so no boy is in her locker room or on the field competing against her. I came to keep transgender lessons out of her classroom and a safe future for her. I was there for my daughter and all the children here in New York.”
At the rally, Trump promised to keep the trangender discussion out of schools; he has also sparked fears in the trangender community that rights will be threatened. In May, according to Forbes, Trump said he would dismantle a President Joe Biden police offering protections for transgender students under the Title IX federal civil rights law.
(Video courtesy Dina Marrazzo)
Others who had planned to attend but couldn’t were still thrilled that the event took place on Long Island.
“No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, it is always an exciting and special event when a former president visits your hometown,” Mike Keegan, who lives in East Meadow, said. “I reserved tickets as soon as I saw President Trump was going to be less than two miles from my house. Unfortunately, by the time I got out of work, there was not a seat left inside Nassau Coliseum.”
“Trump understands that while New York may not be seen as a battleground for his own race, winning key House seats here is crucial for Republicans to secure the majority needed to govern effectively. Critical purple districts like mine and Anthony D’Esposito’s are pivotal in delivering the votes to help Trump fix the border crisis and revitalize our economy,” LaLota told Patch after the rally.
Avlon fired back: “No Show Nick is at it again – this time skipping on votes to keep the government running just to hang out with a convicted felon outside of the district. Whether it’s skipping votes to hang out with someone who wants to ban abortion and ended SALT or refusing to hold in-person, open town halls, Nick LaLota has shown contempt for Suffolk County voters.”
Most who spoke with Patch, however, said there was a death of political mudslinging among those in attendance. “Regardless of the candidate you will be voting for in November, this was a special day for Long Island because over 60,000 people got together for one reason: They love this country and want what they feel is best for us to remain the greatest country in the world. As I drove by the rally, it gave me goosebumps seeing the amount of red, white, and blue that flooded Hempstead Turnpike in Uniondale and seeing all of the happy, optimistic faces gathering to show their love for the United States. This isn’t about a person running for office. It is about the love of our country and putting America first,” Keegan said.
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