Trump Rallies For Blakeman, Celebrates Law Enforcement During LI Visit: 'Golden Age Of America Is Upon Us'

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — President Donald Trump visited the David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence in Garden City on Friday, where he strongly campaigned for gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and touted Nassau County’s crime record as evidence that the Republican county executive should be New York’s next governor.

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Trump’s appearance at Nassau County’s police training facilities began as a celebration of law enforcement and the administration’s newly released crime figures, but quickly developed into a rally for Blakeman and other New York Republicans.

Trump said a newly released FBI Uniform Crime Report showed the United States had experienced the single largest reduction in violent crime in American history in 2025.

He said the country recorded more than 3,100 fewer murders than before he took office and claimed there were also 10,000 fewer rapes and roughly 1 million fewer assaults, robberies, burglaries and thefts.

Trump said preliminary 2026 data showed robberies had fallen another 20 percent and murders another 23 percent.

“According to the latest data, crime has continued to plummet under our leadership in 2026, with robberies down another 20 percent and murders down another 23 percent,” Trump said. “Together, we’re showing what is possible when you finally have a president in the White House who supports our police, who lets you do your job and who always backs the blue.”

FBI Director Kash Patel, who grew up in Nassau County, previewed those figures shortly before Trump took the stage. Patel credited Trump with backing and funding police and said the administration was seeing historic results, including declines in homicide and drug overdose deaths and the apprehension of violent fugitives around the world.

“President Trump, thank you for backing law enforcement. Thank you for funding law enforcement. Thank you for loving law enforcement,” Patel said.

Trump repeatedly praised Nassau police, called Blakeman a political “winner” and cited Nassau County’s ranking as the safest county in the country.

“Nassau County has been rated the number one safest county in the United States of America,” Trump said. “That’s not bad.”

Blakeman, who spoke before Trump, said Nassau has what he called the most comprehensive agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the country and said the partnership resulted in the removal of 2,000 migrants with criminal records in one year.

“In one year, we removed 2,000 illegal migrants with criminal records ranging from attempted murder, rape, murder, drug dealing,” Blakeman said.

Blakeman said the county accomplished those removals without conducting immigration raids at churches, daycare centers, schools or hospitals because local officials were working directly with federal law enforcement.

“We were able to do it in an orderly way, but they say that we’re cruel,” Blakeman said.

Trump credited Blakeman’s cooperation with federal authorities with helping Nassau maintain its public-safety record.

“I want to thank Bruce Blakeman for working closely with federal law enforcement to remove more than 2,000 migrant criminals from Nassau County,” Trump said. “He removed 2,000 absolute total criminals. That’s why your records are so good. That’s why you’re number one in the whole country.”

The president’s endorsement of Blakeman was part of a broader attack on Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Democrats.

“Nowhere is the communist attack on American society more clear than here in New York State,” Trump said.

Trump argued that cashless bail allows repeat offenders back onto the streets and portrayed sanctuary policies as shielding dangerous criminals.

“I love this place, but it gets harder to love. It really does,” Trump said of New York. “But if you think, it really started with the no-cash bail.”

Trump accused the Biden administration of allowing violent criminals into the country through an “open border,” said sanctuary jurisdictions were one of the biggest obstacles facing federal law enforcement and claimed his administration had arrested 1.2 million criminals nationwide while increasing federal criminal prosecutions by more than 50 percent.

“The biggest problem we have, the biggest impediment we have, are sanctuary cities, where they protect criminals,” Trump said.

Blakeman made a similar argument before Trump arrived onstage, saying fentanyl and opioid deaths in Nassau had fallen since the border was secured.

“Our opioid deaths, our fentanyl deaths, have gone way down. Overdoses are way down,” Blakeman said. “What does that mean? What it means is that we don’t have to read about in a newspaper another family that’s lost a child to fentanyl. That’s what it means.”

Several other Long Island Republicans spoke before Trump.

Former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, drawing on his own law-enforcement background, said government’s first responsibility is to keep people safe and argued that financial fraud is intertwined with organized crime, narcotics trafficking and human trafficking.

“Crime and fraud are a tax that you never voted for, and criminals thrive when they believe nobody is coming,” D’Esposito said. “Under President Donald J. Trump, somebody is coming. The investigators are coming. The federal agents are coming. The prosecutors are coming. And handcuffs and prison cells are also coming.”

Town of Hempstead Receiver of Taxes Jeanine Driscoll highlighted Trump’s “no tax on tips” and “no tax on overtime” policies as particularly a plus for working Long Islanders and police officers who depend on extra shifts.

“A young police officer working overtime just to make ends meet — this really makes an impact on their lives,” Driscoll said. “We keep every single cent they earn in their hands, and they deserve it.”

Former state Assemblyman Mike LiPetri, the Republican candidate challenging Rep. Tom Suozzi, used his remarks to attack Suozzi’s record and portray the congressional contest as another front in the fight over policing, immigration and the Republican agenda.

“It’s about standing up for law enforcement and advocating for our victims and our veterans, not our criminals and illegal aliens,” LiPetri said. “It’s very simple. You break the law, we hold you accountable. You jeopardize the safety of our citizens, you will be held accountable.”

Long Island Republicans later joined Trump onstage, including Driscoll, LiPetri, Reps. Nick LaLota, Nicole Malliotakis and Andrew Garbarino, congressional candidates Anthony Constantino and Kailee Buller, and others.

Garbarino used his turn at the microphone to highlight the state and local tax deduction, a major issue for Long Island homeowners.

“One thing we didn’t mention today, but we have to: this would not have happened without the president,” Garbarino said. “Let’s thank him for getting our SALT deduction back.”

Trump also used the Long Island appearance to discuss the ongoing conflict with Iran, saying that the conflict could mean Americans pay more for gasoline, but said preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon justified the cost.

“So for you to pay a tiny little bit more for your gasoline, just remember you’re doing it so that a very evil country cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “Remember that when you have to pay a little bit more. You’re at $4. It’s okay. I’ll never apologize. I did the right thing.”

Trump finished by declaring that the “golden age of America is upon us” and reprising his campaign promises to make the country powerful, wealthy, healthy, strong, proud and safe.

“Together with your help and patriots all across this magnificent land, we will make America powerful again,” Trump said. “We will make America wealthy again. We will make America healthy again. We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And above all, we will make America great again.”