President Donald Trump issued a final appeal to New York voters Saturday, urging them to support Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman on Election Day. Trump argued that the Nassau County executive could rescue the Empire State from what he described as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s “failed and incompetent” administration.
During a tele-rally backing Blakeman, attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy and upstate congressional contender Anthony Constantino, Trump delivered a sharp assessment of Hochul’s record.
“Kathy Hochul may be the worst governor in the history of New York State and one of the worst in the nation,” Trump said. “She’s been a disaster, and I can tell you that Bruce has been a friend of mine for a long time.”
Trump praised Blakeman’s political record and management skills, pointing to Nassau County’s public safety rankings. “Anybody that can do what he did in politics and get resounding results—and not only that, he has the safest county in the United States of America [according to US News & World Report] … He’s a great manager.”
Although recent polling has shown Hochul leading by between 11 and 14 percentage points, Trump said he remained confident that Blakeman could pull off an upset victory.
“I’ll be waiting for his call,” Trump said. “I bet he’s going to be one of the first calls if he wins, and he’ll get tremendous help from the federal government. And it’s hard to help people that do such a bad job. It’s almost like throwing good money after bad.”
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Ryan Radulovack, a spokesperson for Hochul, responded by casting Trump as a central threat in the race—a strategy the governor has repeatedly used during the campaign.
“Blakeman … started with the promise to ‘bring Trump-style leadership to Albany,’ and his closing message is telling people how little he regrets going full Trump in this campaign,” Radulovack said.
Radulovack highlighted Hochul’s claims that she has returned money to New Yorkers, committed $4 billion to public safety and pushed back against Trump’s attacks, while saying Blakeman “defends everything Trump does.”
Trump also shifted the focus during the tele-rally to the conflict with Iran, declaring that the war was nearing an end.
“We’re winning very easily the war with Iran,” Trump said.
He said Iranian officials were engaging with the United States and discussing a possible resolution, while cautioning that their negotiations involved “a lot of talking.”
“But one way or the other, their Navy’s gone. Their Air Force is gone. All blown up. All at the bottom of the sea, and they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “It’s very simple, and they know that. They know that, and we can end it any time we want.”