Trump rallies Syracuse supporters at The Oncenter
Trump rallies Syracuse supporters at The Oncenter
In his first visit in 10 years, the president rallied Republican candidates weeks before the midterms.
A sea of red merchandise formed a snakelike line of attendees outside The Oncenter’s parking lot on Friday afternoon as thousands waited to get in. The rally supported Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate for governor.
The event drew heavy attention after it was confirmed last week that President Donald Trump would appear, as Republicans work to build support ahead of the midterm elections in November.
Many attendees who braved the almost two hour-long entrance wait time took the opportunity to comment about their expectations for Trump’s appearance.
“For [Trump] to say ‘Hello to Kathy Hochul’, with a little extra ‘hello’,” two longtime Syracuse residents said, who have been devoted fans of the president since his first term.
This event marks almost ten years since Trump’s last appearance in Syracuse, and many in the crowd made the trip from Utica, Albany, Binghamton and further to see him in person.
No Republican has won a statewide election since 2002, when George Pataki was re-elected to his third consecutive term as governor. In Onondaga County, a total of 112,863 residents are registered as Democrat, while 87,354 are registered as Republican, according to the New York State Board of Officials.
Trump’s presence was meant to energize his supporters to cast ballots this November for fellow Republican campaigns like Blakeman’s, or congressional candidate Kallie Buller, whom he publicly endorsed.
Along the line of the rally, vendors populated the parking lot, selling MAGA-themed merchandise to attendees.
“I’d like to hear that he [Trump] is still going to support our freedom, and other things he promised us back in 2016”, Carrie M. Christman, a vendor who traveled more than two hours from Erie County for today’s event, said.
Christman is a Board Member at large for SCOPE, a grassroots Second Amendment defense organization based in East Aurora, New York.
Ed Cox, Chair of the New York Republican state committee, opened the program, walking out to “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses. Cox’s remarks centered around the work Trump has pushed for concerning immigration and his support for republican nominees Blakeman and Buller alike.
However, the show of support from spectators was not matched by that of the state’s own local Republican officials and candidates, as only four of the 16 local leaders planned to be there for Trump’s event, according to Syracuse.com.
State Sen. Mark Walczyk, currently representing District 49 in New York, brushed off the absences.
“If it’s more important to knock on doors than to show up here. Good for them. Go get the win,” Walczyk said.
The rally also featured Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood, the running mate to Blakeman and Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor; Anthony Constantino, who is running for the NY-21 congressional seat; and Kailee Buller, who is running for the NY-22 congressional seat.
“I know they’re very disenfranchised with politics, I don’t blame them,” Buller said, during the rally in regards to young voters. “But I hope that they’ll get more engaged because we need them.”
According to Buller, “60% of my voting block is over the age of 50.”
Before President Trump’s appearance, Blakeman took to the stage and proclaimed his love for New Yorkers and the state as a whole. He made a dig at opponent, Governor Kathy Hochul, describing her as “pro-criminal.”
As of Oct.7, Hochul leads Blakeman by 11 points among registered voters in New York, according to a poll conducted by Marist University.
Blakeman addressed an incident that happened on Oct. 9, in NYC, when ICE agents shot 28-year-old Oscar Belgal with his 5-year-old son in the back of his car. In response, Blakeman promised spectators to take away New York State’s sanctuary status.
“On January 1st, when I am sworn in. I will have waiting for me on my desk an executive order that states New York is no longer a sanctuary state,” Blakeman said.
Arriving over an hour later than his expected speaking time, Trump approached the podium and welcomed cheers from spectators.
In his speech, Trump brought up voter identification, stating that democrats are against the use of valid identification when registering to vote in federal elections.
“They want to cheat,” Trump said, calling Democrats “the greatest bulls— artists in the world.”
In the middle of his speech, protestors could be heard shouting and one unidentified woman was escorted out by security personnel as Trump’s supporters yelled back at her.
Ahead of the midterm election, Trump asked voters to “just close [their] eyes and pretend [he’s’] on the ballot,” promising 5,000 dollars to every adult American citizen if Republicans gain control of the U.S. House of Representatives following the election.
Some spectators left the event midway through Trump’s speech and many entered in confrontational disputes with protestors outside upon exiting. Syracuse police stood along State, Madison and Harrison streets to help manage the crowd as the event ended.
is a News Lead Producer for The NewsHouse.