Following former President Donald Trump's recent rally in New York City, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, said she wants to invest in the Democratic stronghold city on Saturday.
New York City has a long-standing history as a Democratic stronghold, as the Democratic Party has historically dominated the city's politics. Trump, the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, recently held a rally in the deep-blue Bronx borough of New York City on Thursday.
The former president garnered just 16 percent of the vote in the Bronx in the 2020 election, whereas President Joe Biden won north of 80 percent, according to the Associated Press. However, as Trump and Republicans have made gains with Black and Hispanic voters, his campaign and conservative supporters in New York are hopeful he will perform better in the borough and the state in an expected rematch against Biden later this year. About 65 percent of Bronx residents are Hispanic and approximately 31 percent are Black.
During Thursday's rally, Trump, who was a lifelong New Yorker until he officially transferred his residency to Palm Beach, Florida, in 2019, spoke on various issues including proposing to renovate the New York City subway system "so it no longer looks like it hasn't been cleaned since 1932, but rather it will be the most beautiful transit system anywhere in the world...We are going to make it beautiful again."
In response, Greene, a Trump ally, took to X, formerly Twitter, to support the former president's proposal to renovate the subway system as she called to invest in these "America First projects."
"I enjoyed hearing Pres Trump talk about the NY subway. Remodeling the subway to make it beautiful, clean, and most importantly safe are the exact types of America First projects we should be investigating in. America First projects such as building a border wall, securing our border, and opening up all drilling for oil and natural gas are ESSENTIAL! Make America Great Again is a policy agenda for ALL Americans!" she wrote.
The GOP congresswoman added: "We need to STOP sending America's hard earned tax dollars to foreign countries and foreign wars!! We can claw back money spent on Non-American things, stop wasting money on useless endeavors, and create budgets that rebuild America to greatness, create jobs, and grow and stabilize our economy!!"
Greene has continued to be vocal in the opposition to sending further aid to Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia as well as the foreign aid package that was passed last month.
The congresswoman has previously taken aim at New York City as she said in April 2023 on Tucker Carlson's Fox News program that the city is "disgusting" and that its streets are filled with people "basically dying on drugs—they can't even stand up."
"There's so much crime in the city. It smells bad. I think it's a terrible place," she said.
Newsweek has reached out to Greene's office and Trump's campaign via email.
Meanwhile, a supporter of Biden fired back at Trump's claims as X user @CLutvak noted the Biden administration's efforts in which they enacted a $1.2 trillion infrastructure law that allowed for the expansion of the city's subway system, among other projects across the country.
"Trump says he will invest in NYC's subway. Sound like a good idea? Vote for @JoeBiden -- he's doing it!" Lutvak wrote Thursday, with a screenshot of Bloomberg News announcing the expansion in an article from July 2023.
In 2021, Biden signed the bipartisan infrastructure package as it aimed to tackle American infrastructure, including public transportation, roads, bridges, ports, railways, power grids, broadband internet, as well as water and sewage systems.
Newsweek has also reached out to Biden's campaign via email for comment.
During his rally, Trump continued to tout proposals for the city as he said, "We are going to turn New York City around. We're going to bring safety back to our streets, we're going to bring success back to our schools. We're going to bring prosperity back to every neighborhood in every borough of the greatest city of our land."
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What the Polls Show
This comes as Trump appears to be closing the gap with Biden in the city, according to recent polls.
Biden leads Trump 47 percent to 38 percent in New York state, according to a Siena College poll taken between May 13 and 15 that surveyed 1,191 registered voters. Biden won the state by 23 points in 2020.
The poll also showed that Biden is down 20 points in New York City, with Trump gaining seven points compared to 2020 when 76 percent voted for Biden and 23 percent for Trump. The former president has marginally grown his projected share of the vote in the state since the last two Siena College polls in April and February.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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