After a long and stressful week in a criminal trial in Manhattan, former President Donald J. Trump on Saturday took part in a time-honored ritual enjoyed by countless New Yorkers in need of a break. He went up to the shore.
Sandwiched between the boardwalk and the Atlantic Ocean, Trump stood in front of tens of thousands of people at a rally on the shores of Wildwood, New Jersey, and repeated most of the criticisms of President Biden that have characterized his recent stump speeches. Ta. A few months.
Mr. Trump, who just appeared in court, claimed that the case filed in Manhattan in which Mr. Biden was accused of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments was a “Biden show trial.” he was involved in an incident.
Trump has slammed pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, vowed to crack down on immigration and repeated false claims that Democrats stole the 2020 election from him.
But if much of Mr. Trump's speech consisted of what has become his standard refrain, the setting was striking. New Jersey has voted for Democratic presidential candidates in every election since 1992, and although Trump lost the state by double-digit margins in both 2016 and 2020, he won the state in November. He claimed that he could win.
“We're officially campaigning in New Jersey, so we're expanding the electoral map,” Trump told the crowd on the beach. “We’re going to beat New Jersey.”
Trump, who once owned a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey and often spends his summers at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, has been publicly bullish about his chances in New Jersey in recent months. Ta. Political experts and even some advisers are skeptical.
Still, some parts of the state are deeply conservative, such as the area around Wildwood, a boardwalk town on the southern end of the Jersey Shore and a popular beach spot for working-class families. Many of the visitors are from Pennsylvania, a battleground state that supported Trump in 2016 but tilted toward Biden in 2020.
Mr. Trump's rally, held just before the start of the summer season, drew crowds of people to the promenade, and many vendors who normally sell a variety of novelty items filled their store fronts with Trump-related T-shirts and merchandise. It was full. hat. Supporters stretched out on blankets and applied sunscreen for hours before Trump's arrival.
Against a backdrop of classic Americana, Mr. Trump repeated his typical criticism that Mr. Biden's economic policies are hurting the middle class. With his background in operating rides at amusement parks, he claimed that he was the only one who could preserve the traditions of the summer coast.
“New Jersey and Pennsylvania are easy choices,” Trump said, telling supporters to vote for him if they want “lower costs, higher incomes and more weekends at the coast.” I told you. (Locals in the area usually refer to it as “down the shore,” and judging by the crowd's cheers, this was well received.)
The rally was in stark contrast to the Manhattan courthouse, where proceedings were more somber and Mr. Trump's comments were limited to remarks to reporters before entering and exiting the courtroom.
Mr. Trump's remarks at the rally were largely based on remarks he made in a limited setting. He renewed his criticism of Biden's warning that he would not supply Israel with weapons if it launches a major ground attack, providing the clearest support yet for Israel's military strategy.
“I support Israel's right to win the war on terror,” he told the audience. “Is that okay? I don't know. I don't know if it's good or bad politically. I don't care.”
The rally in New Jersey is only Trump's third since his trial began last month. Last week, he held back-to-back events in Wisconsin and Michigan, two battleground states expected to be tougher than New Jersey in November's election.
Trump, who is under a gag order barring him from commenting on witnesses or jurors in the case, limited his criticism of the incident on Saturday. The judge in the case found him in contempt, fined him $10,000 for violating his order, and warned him of possible jail time.
