SEE: Live updates from the rally
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump will be on Long Island Wednesday for a rally in Bethpage, his campaign has confirmed.
The rally begins at 7 p.m. at Grumman Studios. Free tickets to the rally are available on Trump's website here.
"It is so great to be back home!" Trump posted on Twitter Wednesday afternoon. "Looking forward to a great rally tonight in Bethpage, Long Island!"
The Nassau County Police Department has announced the following road closures near the venue:
- South Oyster Bay Road will be closed to all traffic between Grumman Road and Route 107 beginning at 2 p.m. and lasting until about 10 p.m.
- All of Grumman Road from South Oyster Bay Road to the end will be closed beginning at 2 p.m. and lasting until about 10 p.m.
Police said residents should "avail themselves of alternate routes and should if possible avoid travel in the area of the Grumman Studios on the day of the event."
For those attending the rally, no bags will be allowed inside Grumman Studios. Off-duty and retired law enforcement will not be permitted to carry firearms into the venue, police said.
Several organizations, including the Long Island Progressive Coalition, plan to protest outside Grumman Studios beginning at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“Trump has treated large swaths of the American people with disrespect and contempt," said Lisa Tyson, director of the Long Island Progressive Coalition. "He’s made outrageous comments about immigrants, Muslims, and women. And he wants to further the economic divide, not create more opportunities for working Americans. This is why we are protesting his rally. We want to make sure the world knows Trump does not speak for us."
With two weeks to go until the New York primary on April 19, polls show Trump with a large lead among New York Republicans over Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
Kasich, who is facing increasing calls from both Trump and Cruz to drop out of the race, held town hall events at Hofstra University and The Paramount in Huntington on Monday.
Kasich committed a New York cardinal sin by eating pizza with a fork last week, but he actually leads Cruz in New York polls. Cruz irked plenty of New Yorkers when he criticized Trump's "New York values" earlier this year and the senator has not announced any campaign stops on Long Island.
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On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton will attend the Suffolk County Democratic Committee Spring Dinner at Villa Lombardi's in Holbrook on April 11. Tickets to the dinner are $300 for non-committee members.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has not announced plans to visit the island, but Sanders and Clinton will debate in Brooklyn on April 14.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
