Several Republican-controlled seats in the House of Representatives are vulnerable this year, including Reps. Anthony D’Esposito of Long Island, Mike Lawler and Marc Molinaro of the Hudson Valley, and Brandon Williams of Syracuse in upstate New York. Each faces highly contested races in the November election.

The Trump campaign’s choice to visit the NYC suburb of Nassau County is no coincidence either; the suburb has become a Republican stronghold over the past two years. Rising crime in neighboring Manhattan during the COVID-19 pandemic has seen Long Islanders increasingly turn to the Republican Party for answers, which has promised to act as a safety net against New York’s liberal policies.

The strategy worked.

In 2022, Republicans won all four congressional seats on Long Island and dominated local elections in Nassau County, where Wednesday’s meeting is being held.