(The Center Square) — President Donald Trump touted his economic policies and tax cuts and blasted New York Democrats Friday in a visit to the state’s most competitive congressional district aimed at rallying Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.
The president joined Rep. Mike Lawler in the Hudson Valley’s 17th Congressional District where he gave voters a preview of his general election messaging amid growing discontent with the economy and declining poll numbers.
It was the first visit of a sitting president to Rockland County since 1976, when Democrat Gerald Ford visited the upstate New York region.
Trump ripped into the state’s democratic leadership, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, accusing them of pushing for policies that have contributed to illegal immigration, crime, rising energy costs and policies that are out of touch with the average New Yorkers.
“Unfortunately, in recent years this state has been held back by bad policies, bad politicians and foolish radical left idiocies,” he told the gathering at Rockland Community College. “But under the Trump administration we’re doing everything we can to bring New York back, bigger, better and stronger than ever before.”
Trump said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law last July, includes tax breaks that are benefiting New Yorkers. That includes an increase in the deduction for state and local taxes from $10,000 to $40,000, which was a key priority for Lawler.
To be sure, the GOP congressman had pushed for a larger SALT deduction during debate on Trump’s tax and policy bill last year and has clashed with White House officials over efforts to eliminate the deduction.
In his remarks Friday, Trump ribbed Lawler for being a “pain the ass” about lobbying his administration to bump up the deduction.
“I call him Mr. SALT,” Trump said, laughing. “He wouldn’t leave us alone. He was a pain in the ass. But I tell you, your community is well represented by him.”
Trump also praised Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is challenging Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, calling him the GOP’s best chance of retaking the governor’s office in the November election.
“He’s gonna win. You better get ready for it,” Trump said. “When he first ran in Nassau, everyone said ‘no Republican is going to win.’ But he won. So you better watch yourself, Kathy.”
Trump’s visit comes as the White House works to spotlight the president’s economic agenda amid declining approval ratings. The president is seeking to rally New York Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, with several swing districts — including Lawler’s — part of the GOP’s strategy to hold onto their majority in the House of Representatives.
New York’s 17th Congressional District is considered a key House battleground in the upcoming midterms, when control of Congress is out for grabs. The swing district has gone back-and-forth between Republican and Democratic representatives over the years. Democrat Kamala Harris won the district in the 2024 presidential election. The Cook Political Report has rated the 17th district a toss up.
Five Democrats are vying for the party’s nomination in a June 23 primary for a shot at challenging Lawler in the midterms. He currently faces no opposition from his own party.
“Nothing says ‘I don’t understand my district’ quite like Mike Lawler bringing Donald Trump to NY-17 to tout a disastrous economy that’s crushing working families at every turn,” Riya Vashi, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement.
Vashi said with gas, groceries and other costs still high for New Yorkers, Lawler “bear hugging the unpopular architect of this economic disaster in his own district is just the latest reminder for Hudson Valley voters that their so-called ‘representative’ will always put Donald Trump first, and they sure as hell won’t forget it come November.”
