Trump’s tangents – President Donald Trump tested his midterm message in New York, but veered into tangents about voter identification, crime in cities, transgender women in sports, and calling Democrats “Dumocrats.” The off-topic start came during an event with Republican Rep. M
SUFFERN, New York — President Donald Trump began testing his midterm message in a toss-up congressional district, but he didn’t stick to the economy for long.
Right from the start on Friday. Trump veered into tangents that ranged from voter identification and crime in cities to transgender women in sports and his new nickname for the opposition party: “Dumocrats.” He also complained that toiletries are locked up in pharmacies. making them harder to buy. and polled the crowd on what he should call his predecessor. former President Joe Biden.
Then Trump finally settled into the purpose of the visit, telling the audience at Rockland Community College that he and his party worked to slash taxes and increase take-home pay while Democrats opposed the effort at every turn.
“I cut your taxes, cut the taxes on workers, families, small business, who are the soul of this state,” Trump said, listing provisions of the tax law he said were “all Republican tax cuts,” with Democrats voting against “every one of these tax cuts.”
The trip to the Hudson Valley was made with Republican Rep. Mike Lawler. who is up for reelection in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched House races this November. The event was designed to promote the tax law Trump signed last year. with emphasis on the quadrupling of the deduction for state and local taxes—known as the SALT deduction—something described as critical in a high-tax state like New York.
Trump called Lawler “fantastic” and later mused about how the congressman was a “pain in the ass” as he badgered the administration on expanding the deduction. Trump pulled Lawler onstage during the event.
Lawler thanked the president “for working with me to deliver a big win” for the people in his district, saying that more than 90% of the people in his district were able to fully deduct their state and local taxes.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman also appeared at the event. He is the Trump-backed Republican candidate for New York governor. Trump told the room, “Guys like Mike Lawler, guys like Bruce Blakeman, you put them in, they’ll turn it around.”
While Trump tried to center the event on take-home pay. the White House has been looking for ways to highlight his economic accomplishments as his approval rating on the economy has slumped. About one-third of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling the economy. according to a new AP-NORC poll. down slightly from 40% at the start of Trump’s second term. Trump had promised to bring prices down, but gasoline prices have surged this year due to the war in Iran.
For Lawler, the stakes are sharpened by the race’s political math. Lawler is one of three House Republicans who represent a district won by Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2024. Unlike the other two—retiring Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon and Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. who has been a critic of Trump policies—Lawler has chosen to embrace the polarizing president. aiming not to alienate Republican voters who support the party’s leader.
In an interview earlier this week on the sidelines of the White House congressional picnic. Lawler said the people who hate the president are “likely never voting for me. ” adding that he needs to “turn out your base” and keep the broader middle engaged. He also said he is confident he will be reelected on “my own merits and my own record.”.
At the same time, Lawler’s embrace of the SALT fight is personal. Trump established a SALT cap in 2017 through his Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Last year’s law expanded the SALT deduction to $40,000 from $10,000 after “arduous negotiations,” including with Lawler. The White House data cited in the report says the law raised the average tax refund for New Yorkers to more than $3. 800.
Lawler said his constituents had been seeing anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 refund checks, calling it “pretty massive.” He said he wanted to give Trump one of his “Mr. SALT” ball caps.
Trump’s endorsement for reelection came last year, even as Lawler was publicly mulling a run for governor of New York. The endorsement was widely viewed as a way to keep Lawler in a House reelection bid rather than opening up a competitive House seat.
On the Democratic side. five Democrats are vying for the party’s nomination to compete against Lawler in the general election. with the Democratic primary set for June 23. Riya Vashi. a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. criticized Trump’s appearance as a mismatch for the district. saying nothing says “I don’t understand my district” quite like bringing Donald Trump to NY-17 to tout a “disastrous economy that’s crushing working families at every turn.”.
Richard Hudson. the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. disputed that framing and argued Trump’s appearance will “absolutely” help. Hudson said “His poll numbers are pretty good in Lawler’s district. ” and that the NRCC has been polling in competitive districts. adding that “Democratic numbers are tanking.”.
Lawler said Trump’s remarks were an official White House event and not a campaign one. He also pointed out that more than 5,000 people registered to attend in the first 12 hours that a sign-up was available.
The day’s sequence—Trump’s rapid pivot from off-topic tangents to a tightly scripted message about taxes—played out against the backdrop of a hard political test for both Trump and Lawler. With approval ratings on the economy softening and gasoline prices elevated due to the war in Iran. the event made one thing plain in a competitive district: in politics. even the economy pitch has to survive the opening act.
Donald Trump Mike Lawler SALT deduction New York politics House race voter identification transgender women in sports economy approval rating AP-NORC poll Hudson Valley Rockland Community College