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Crime pitch in Long Island
President Donald Trump highlighted his record on crime and safety during a visit to the Nassau County police academy in suburban Long Island on Friday, pivoting to the issue as he looked to boost Republicans in battleground races ahead of the November midterms.
“Trump was visiting the Nassau County police academy in suburban Long Island”
At the event, Trump said “young, beautiful girls in the White House” have thanked him for making Washington, DC safer, while also crediting his administration’s deployment of the National Guard to cities around the U.S., including in the nation’s capital.
Trump’s remarks came as the FBI released new crime statistics, with the report on 2025 crime statistics showing the homicide rate in the United States dropped to the lowest it’s been in 75 years and overall violent crime dropped 9.3% last year.
In the same Long Island setting, the event’s political framing was underscored by Trump attacking “Radical left Democrats” and calling former President Joe Biden “Sleepy Joe,” while uniformed officers behind him drew less reaction than the crowd of regular Trump supporters.
The appearance included Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel, and actor Kelsey Grammer was among the guests of honor.
Blanche, Patel warm crowd
Before Trump spoke, Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel each spoke to warm up the crowd, with Patel praising Trump’s leadership and crediting him for crime reduction trends that began under the previous administration.
Trump also criticized Gov. Kathy Hochul and insulted Attorney General Letitia James as “a real slob” and “a disgrace,” and the PBS account said James successfully sued the president and his companies for financial fraud.
The PBS report said Trump touted his deployment of the National Guard to cities around the U.S., including in the nation’s capital, and it quoted him saying, “Two years ago, we were in a hellhole, and now we have one of the safest cities.”
The Independent similarly described Trump’s claim that “young, beautiful girls” frequently thank him for making Washington, DC safe, while noting the event was attended by Blanche and Patel and actor Kelsey Grammer.
In the background of the political rally atmosphere, the PBS account said many of Trump’s lines, especially the political attacks, didn’t get as much of a reaction from the uniformed officers as from the crowd that cheered and booed on cue.
Midterms, polls, and backlash
Trump’s Nassau County stop was aimed at boosting Republican candidates in closely contested races across New York, and the ABC News account said the White House expected the release of new FBI crime statistics showing a decrease in violent crime for 2025.
“There are about 80 days until Election Day in November”
The event also tied directly to the governor’s race, with Trump rallying with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman as he sought to unseat incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul in the November general election.
Blakeman said he was “thrilled to be back in the state I love,” and he framed the visit as a chance to change the direction of New York, while Hochul’s campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki said the governor “has invested billions in public safety” and accused Blakeman of bringing Donald Trump to tour a county where he let violent crime spike to decade highs.
A Siena University poll cited by WKMG said Blakeman was trailing Hochul by just 10 points among likely voters, and the Spectrum News account said there are about 80 days until Election Day in November.
At the same time, the Spectrum News report described a rally protesting Trump and Blakeman’s policies near the police academy, where Hochul’s pick for lieutenant governor Adrienne Adams said, “Governor Hochul is fighting to protect New Yorkers from Trump’s untrained [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents.”