JERSEY SHORE – Former President Donald Trump got some good weather on Saturday for his beach front rally that allowed him to catch up on some campaign time lost during his many hours in court in New York.
The Wildwood rally followed a volatile week of testimony in his hush money trial in relation to an alleged pay out to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marked his third campaign rally since the start of that trial four weeks ago.
His stop at the Jersey Shore, unlike his visits to Michigan and Wisconsin the prior week, didn’t bring him to a battleground state. Trump isn’t expected to win the Garden State in November. He lost by about 16 points to President Joe Biden in 2020.
Trump said however that New Jersey could go his way this time out as he spoke to the crowd in Wildwood, part of Cape May County, which is in a New Jersey district that is much friendlier to red voters in much the way that Ocean County is.
Trump won Cape May County in 2020 with 57.5% of the vote, and 58.4% in 2016. He won Ocean County in 2016 and 2020.
There were plenty of Republicans from Ocean County present including Jackson Mayor Michael Reina and Councilman Mordechai Burnstein who also serves as president of the Jackson Republican Club.
Burnstein told Jersey Shore Online.com, “It was inspiring to see that so many Americans joined with President Trump this past Saturday even here in a blue state. I am confident that the energy that existed at this rally will continue to grow and that President Trump will be re-elected as our President.”
Trump stated during the rally that his campaign was “expanding the electoral map because we’re going to officially play in the state of New Jersey. We’re going to win the state of New Jersey.”
Manchester Mayor Robert Arace was also there with some Republicans from the township. “I have never seen so many people come to see one person at an event like this before. The energy was amazing. He spoke for an hour and a half. It was very well attended and while it was a bit chilly and breezy on the beach nobody cared.”
Some noted Republicans interviewed prior to the rally thought it was a mistake for him to use one of his few days off from the campaign trail in a state that has consistently voted for Democrats in presidential elections. New Jersey has gone Democrat Blue in the last seven straight presidential elections.
Members of the former president’s campaign, however, said their candidate sees an opportunity to draw attention to his re-election campaign through the local media market in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania which would include getting TV coverage in the Philadelphia market.
As expected, the crowd featured attendees from Philadelphia and some of its suburbs which is around 90 minutes away from Wildwood.
This wasn’t Trump’s first event in Wildwood. He campaigned there in January 2020 in a dual effort to support Rep. Jeff Van Drew.
Van Drew surprised his colleagues in the House one year prior by switching his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican during Trump’s first impeachment trial.
Trump, who was president at the time, received Van Drew’s “undying support” pledge. That relationship continued and Trump, a former Democrat himself, has praised the congressman’s decision to change party affiliation. Van Drew, who is leading the Trump campaign in New Jersey, spoke during Saturday’s rally.
The presumptive GOP presidential nominee has spent some of his time away from the court room with fundraising, including speaking at his Mar-a-Lago club at a luncheon during the Republican National Committee’s yearly retreat and playing golf at his Bedminster club.
He insulted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the hush money case against him, declaring “this case is a sham.” He’s been threatened with jail time and fined for ignoring gag orders involving the case.
Trump was, as expected, critical of his rival, incumbent President Joe Biden, who is ahead in some polls, concerning his stance of Israel’s strategy in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
“I’ve come here from New York, where I’m being forced to endure a Biden show trial all done by Biden,” Trump said during the rally.
He added that the “show trial” was being “carried out by radical Democrat district attorney, you know who he is? Fat Alvin. Corrupt guy.”
Trump also took a jab at former Governor Chris Christie, “does anybody like Chris Christie? You can not call Chris Christie a fat fink. if you call someone fat is career ending.”
