President Donald Trump thundered into Rockland County to serve up red meat to the MAGA faithful like a Memorial Day barbecue.
The president’s Friday appearance at a rally at Rockland Community College in Suffern was billed as chance for Trump to demonstrate his support for Rep. Mike Lawler, the Pearl River Republican seeking a third term in New York’s 17th Congressional District. Some Republican political operatives have told me that Trump invited himself to the event, though, and that the president’s appearance might not have been Lawler’s preference.
Lawler admitted as much when he said that despite their differences, when the President of the United States comes to town, the local congressman must show up. He reminded the crowd — to boos — that he did the same when Biden came to Westchester.
Lawler’s detractors will pimp the images of their congressman and the president on stage together and continue to scream, “MAGA Mike,” but it’s a mark Lawler already reluctantly and uncomfortably wears and Friday’s MAGA stage show won’t do anything to further prove the claim that he’s a rubber stamp for Trump.
What was the scene at Trump’s Rockland rally?
A little before 3 p.m. on Friday, May 22, in the Eugene Levy fieldhouse at Rockland Community College, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was talking to the crowd about the state of the U.S. economy. He sounded like a youth football coach in a half-time speech trying to convince his players that being down 34-0 they had the opponent right where they wanted them.
Mercifully for Lutnick, his speech was interrupted by the roar of the rotors of Marine One as the founder and eternal symbol of the MAGA movement descended from the sky over the RCC fieldhouse.
The music that blared from the speakers in the hours before things got under way featured a lot of classics from Lawler’s favorite performer, Michael Jackson.
One ironic song choice came on just before Trump was introduced by NY Giants QB Jaxson Dart— Guns ‘n Roses’ “Cold November Rain,” featuring the line, “Nothin’ lasts forever and we both know hearts can change.”
Mike Lawler is hoping for a mild, sunny November in NY-17
I’m certain Lawler is hoping for a mild and sunny November and that hearts in New York’s 17th Congressional District remain as they have in the last two congressional elections which he won easily.
During his warmup speech, the Pearl River Republican showed off an admirable Trump impression as he described a meeting with the president where Lawler’s demand for an increase to the State and Local Tax deduction — SALT — was discussed.
He claimed that he told the president that he would kill the Big Beautiful Bill if it did not include an increase from 10% allowed to 40% for SALT deductions.
Lawler mimicked Trump, turning to House Speaker Mike Johnson and telling him to get the deal done and to, “Give Lawler all the SALT he wants.”
Lawler and Trump both revealed that the [resident now calls Lawler “Mr. SALT,” with Lawler touting that someone who challenged Trump and won could end up with a lot worse nicknames from the insulter-in-chief.
The SALT win for Lawler was substantial. The congressman claimed that 90% of households in his district were able to write off their entire property tax bill this past April.
The theme of the Lawler rally was “Fighting for America’s Workers.” Trump, Lutnick and Lawler all ticked off stats to support the argument that America is in great economic shape with a booming stock market and $18 trillion in foreign investments.
The crowd dutifully hit their cues on the economy applause lines but not with any of the passion they voiced when Trump talked about transitioned men playing in women’s sports, migrant crime, ballot security and rigged elections.
Trump will never be accused of being a policy wonk. He kept his remarks light on facts, barely mentioning the war with Iran, and soon sank to the childish insults and name-calling banter — the arena where he seems to feel most comfortable.
He raised the curtain on his new name for the opposing party: Dumocrats! He went to great lengths to explain that this stroke of antagonistic genius is achieved by turning the “e” in Democrats to a “u” and then dropping the “b” in dumb. Trump observed on a few occasions that many people don’t know there is a “b” in dumb.
Then he held an informal survey of the audience as to their preference between the names “sleepy Joe” or “crooked Joe” for Biden.
Welles Remy Crowther will posthumously recieve Presidential Medal of Freedom
Following the bluster, bombast and BS, there were some moving moments with local families.
Alison Crowther, mother of Welles Remy Crowther, who is known as the man with the red bandana, joined the president on stage to reflect on the 25th anniversary of her son’s heroic death in the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Crowther was a volunteer firefighter in Rockland County who was at work in the World Trade Center that horrific day and was seen in photos climbing back up the stairs of the doomed South Tower as others streamed down in attempt to save as many souls as he could before he gave his own.
Trump announced that Welles Crowther would be receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously for the 25th anniversary of his sacrifice.
The most moving part of the program came when Trump invited the family of slain Yorktown 18-year-old college student Sheridan Gorman onstage to discuss their devastating loss and to blast Biden’s border policies and Chicago’s sanctuary city status.
Gorman was shot and killed in Chicago by a migrant who was in the country illegally and had been previously arrested and shoplifting charges.
Will Trump’s theater benefit Mike Lawler?
Several people were removed from the venue for protesting. During one interruption Trump urged law enforcement, “Don’t hurt them, Don’t hurt them!” then with a wink and a nod told the audience that is something he says to protect himself legally.
As the president busted his signature dance moves to YMCA, the MAGA gang left campus full and satisfied but not more informed.
It was good theater — and a roll of the dice for Lawler as he makes the case to moderate voters that he is independent and not a Trump sycophant.
Matt Richter, a veteran Hudson Valley journalist, is local news and regional opinion manager for lohud.com and The Journal News. He can be reached at mrichter@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Why Trump’s Rockland rally was a gamble for Mike Lawler | Opinion
Reporting by Matt Richter, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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