Donald Trump is scheduled to rally in one of the most heavily Democratic counties in the country, set to take the stage Thursday evening in the Bronx. 

A Trump campaign spokesperson says to expect the former president and GOP nominee to rail against Joe Biden, inflation and the surge of asylum seekers into New York when he takes the stage in Crotona Park. 

“President Trump is going to speak directly to locals in the Bronx, in the borough about how their lives have worsened under Joe Biden's policies, particularly ‘Bidenomics,’ which has led to the highest inflation in a generation,” Karoline Leavitt, the campaign’s national press secretary, told Spectrum News NY1. 

But why go to the Bronx?

What You Need To Know

  • Trump is expected to rail against Joe Biden, inflation and the surge of asylum seekers into New York when he takes the stage in Crotona Park Thursday

  • The Bronx is one of the most Democratic counties in the U.S., Trump won less than 10% of the vote in the borough eight years ago, and 16% in 2020

  • A campaign spokesperson says Trump is "unafraid to bring his message to every borough of New York"

  • Rep. Ritchie Torres, the local congressman, says, "The only place in the Bronx where Donald Trump has any place being is Bronx Criminal Court"

“Why not?” Leavitt said. “President Trump is unafraid to bring his message to every borough of New York, to every corner of this great country because he believes his message is a winning one.”

Trump won less than 10% of the vote in the borough eight years ago, and inched up to just 16% in 2020.

However, according to polls, Trump has been making some inroads this year with groups that form the majority of Bronx voters: Black and Latino Americans. 

“Clearly there's an opportunity for Trump to try to get support from some of those voters,” Don Levy, director of the Siena College Research Institute, said.

Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres, a Democrat, says he is appalled that the former president has decided to campaign in the borough. 

“Donald Trump's mismanagement of COVID was catastrophic for the Bronx. The Bronx was the epicenter,” Torres said. 

By contrast, he argues Biden has actually put in the work that will help his community. He notes, for example, Biden’s efforts to cap the price of insulin — a potential game-changer, he says, in a borough with one of the highest rates of diabetes in the country. 

“The only place in the Bronx where Donald Trump has any place being is Bronx Criminal Court on 161st Street and the Grand Concourse,” Torres said. 

No one expects Trump to win the Bronx or New York state writ large. 

However, winning more Black and Latino voters nationally could be the difference in a close race. Trump’s outreach to those voters could also force Biden to spend more time and money trying to maintain a key part of his political base. 

Protesters and a counter-rally are expected to greet Trump Thursday evening.