In a twist from the norm for presidential candidates who typically focus their campaign activities on key states, Donald Trump took his campaign deep into a place where a candidate would unlikely visit: the suburbs of New York City on Wednesday, September 18.
The former president and Republican presidential candidate traveled to Uniondale on Long Island, New York, as the region holds crucial importance for the GOP in maintaining control of the House of Representatives.
Currently, his party is working hard to defend 18 Republican seats in districts won by Joe Biden in 2020, especially in New York and California, and then launch offensives to challenge Democrats in other areas.
The Long Island area is particularly noteworthy, with a fierce race between Republican incumbent Anthony D’Esposito and Democrat Laura Gillen. D’Esposito, a former detective in the New York Police Department, won the district by around 15% in 2022 where Biden had triumphed in 2020.
On Tuesday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform claiming that the Republicans have a “real shot at winning” New York, something not seen in decades. He also pledged to “reclaim SALT (State And Local Tax),” hinting at undoing the cap on state and local tax deductions, a part of the tax legislation he signed into law in 2017.
The SALT deduction cap has caused an increase in tax bills for many residents in high-cost, high-tax states like New York, New Jersey, California, and others, becoming a key campaign issue, especially for New York Republicans representing districts won by Biden.
On the Democratic side, Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to deliver a speech at the 47th Annual Leadership Conference of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in Washington on Wednesday and plans to visit Michigan and Wisconsin later this week.
Latinx voters are a crucial demographic in swing states like Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. This week, Harris engaged in a conversation with host “Chiquibaby” on Nueva Network, highlighting tax policies for new small businesses she has proposed, her experience handling border cases as California’s Attorney General, and expressing support for “providing a pathway to citizenship for those eligible.”
On Tuesday, the Vice President was interviewed by members of the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia, where she condemned Trump’s remarks and urged voters to make sure he “no longer has that microphone.”
Following a notable assassination attempt in Florida on Sunday, Trump is striving to resume his campaign momentum. On Tuesday, he visited Flint, Michigan, seemingly sticking to his plan to head to the nation’s capital and North Carolina later this week.
His running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, is set to hold a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Wednesday.
(This article referenced reports from the Associated Press)