NEW YORK — President Donald Trump ripped Empire State Democrats during a visit to Long Island on Friday, accusing New York Gov. Kathy Hochul of creating a "sanctuary for criminals."
"Nowhere is the communist attack on American society more clear than here in New York state," Trump said at a rally with Nassau County law enforcement officials and Republican gubernatorial challenger Bruce Blakeman. "The radical left, Gov. Kathy Hochul has been very, very bad on crime — a nightmare for crime."
The president's roughly hourlong speech pounded New York's criminal justice laws like limiting when cash bail is required in criminal cases. He also blasted a more recently approved measure meant to put legal guardrails around the White House's expansive deportation efforts. His administration is suing to overturn that law — which prohibits local police departments from entering into formal cooperative agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"The communists want to turn America into a third world country and hell hole," Trump said at the rally. "We're not going to let that happen to New York."
Hochul's campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki responded, "Donald Trump said it himself: he and Bruce Blakeman are united against Governor Hochul holding rogue ICE agents accountable, putting money back in New Yorkers' pockets at every opportunity, and investing billions to bring down crime, while Blakeman let it hit decade highs."
The president's law-and-order message stands in contrast with the near singular focus candidates in both parties have taken this year on affordability issues.
Democrats across the country hope widespread dissatisfaction with Trump and spiking gas prices following the president's decision to bomb Iran will help propel them back to power in Washington. Nationally, voters have soured on Trump's handling of pocketbook issues and immigration — two concerns that helped return him to the White House in 2024.
Focusing on crime — highlighting hard-left Democrats' calls to end prisons and reigniting criticism of efforts to defund law enforcement — represents a return to an issue where Republicans seemingly can still win over voters in what's shaping up to be a tough midterm election.
Trump's Long Island appearance aimed at boosting Blakeman, the Nassau County executive who is facing an uphill challenge to unseat Hochul in this deep-blue state. A Siena University poll of likely voters this week found Hochul leading Blakeman 49 percent to 39 percent.
Republicans need Blakeman, who would be the first GOP candidate elected governor since George Pataki won a third term in 2002, to perform well at the top of the ticket. New York is home to a handful of swing House seats — including at least two on suburban Long Island — that Republicans are trying to flip, potentially upending Democrats' calculus to retake the narrowly divided chamber.
Many GOP congressional candidates joined Trump at Friday's rally, including Reps. Nick LaLota, Andrew Garbarino and Nicole Malliotakis.
That same poll, though, showed Hochul edging out Blakeman with voters on public safety issues — a result that comes after the Democratic governor has sought to narrow the scope of the controversial bail law signed by her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo.
Trump told Blakeman he should be able to capitalize on the bail law.
"From a political standpoint it's good I guess because, Bruce, how the hell can you lose to that?" Trump said with a smile. "Because Bruce, if you lose, you're going to be ashamed. You're going to be ashamed for the rest of your life."
The law has been on the books since 2019, and Hochul has moved to narrow its scope several times over the objections of left-leaning Democrats. In 2022, Hochul's then-Republican foe, Rep. Lee Zeldin, hammered her over the law and came within 6 points of unseating her — a surprisingly close result in a state where the GOP is largely shut out of power.
Hochul has sought to address the public safety issues that dogged her 2022 campaign. She's touted efforts to crack down on the flow of illegal guns into New York as well as increasing money for the State Police.
The president only briefly referenced New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who has forged a surprisingly cordial relationship with the Republican.
"Hochul and Mayor Mamdani were against securing our border, they were against our massive tax cuts, they were against no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security for our seniors," Trump said. "They fought it like hell."
Hochul this year backed a state-level version of ending taxes on tips.
Trump endorsed Blakeman in December, and Democrats have signaled their plans to tie the Republican gubernatorial nominee to the president — who is deeply unpopular in his native state.
Blakeman, though, has not shied away from embracing the president.
"We appreciate you," Blakeman said at the rally while flanked by Trump. "Keep going."