SUFFERN, N.Y. — President Donald Trump used a Friday rally at Rockland Community College to test the Republican Party’s midterm economic pitch, but he spent much of the event on detours that had little to do with the speech’s official theme.
The visit to the Hudson Valley was billed as a show of support for Rep. Mike Lawler, a freshman Republican whose district is among the party’s top defensive priorities ahead of the 2026 midterms. Trump’s remarks, however, quickly left the tax-and-economy script. He spoke at length about voter identification laws, crime in American cities, and transgender athletes, and he complained that pharmacies now lock up everyday toiletries, making them harder to purchase.
The president also tried out new material on the audience. He polled the crowd on what to call his predecessor, Joe Biden, and referred to the Democratic Party as “Dumocrats,” a moniker he said was his own. “I cut your taxes, cut the taxes on workers, families, small business, who are the soul of this state,” Trump said, listing provisions of the 2025 tax package. “These are all Republican tax cuts. The Democrats voted against every one of these tax cuts.”
Lawler was present for the rally but did not speak. The congressman’s seat, which stretches across Rockland County and parts of Westchester and Putnam, is one of several toss-up districts Republicans are trying to hold. The White House has signaled that Trump will headline events for vulnerable incumbents as the midterm season intensifies.