Editor’s Note: The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.

Sitting at his home in The Bronx, Brian Camilo, 21, watched live on television as former U.S. President Donald J. Trump threw paper towel after paper towel into a large crowd of Puerto Ricans who were crammed inside Calvary Chapel, Puerto Rico seeking comfort, reassurance, and support in the wake of Hurricane Maria after it devastated their island in September 2017. For Camilo, the former president’s seemingly flippant actions signaled to him that the wealthy didn’t care about the struggles and hardships of Hispanics.

 

Although Camilo later told Norwood News he is neither pro nor anti-Trump, residents like him joined Bronx politicians and others inside Walter Gladwin Park on what was a dreary, wet, miserable morning on May 23 to counterprotest the planned Trump rally, as reported, taking place later that day in the Bronx’s Crotona Park as part of the Republican presidential nominee’s bid to win the presidency for a second time in November 2024.

 

Democratic Rep. Richie Torres (NY-15), who represents much of the borough stretching from the northwest to the south, and who was one of the main organizers of the counterprotest, opened his prepared remarks by making it clear that Trump was not welcome in one of America’s bluest counties. “Instead of holding a rally at Crotona Park, Trump should be issuing an apology to the people of The Bronx for the damage that he has done,” the congressman said in reference to Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. “Donald Trump brought preventable death and devastation to our borough,” he added. Trump frequently downplayed the severity of the virus.

 

Torres went on to say that Trump was no friend of The Bronx. “Donald Trump and his Trump Republicans are intent on deepening poverty and dismantling the social safety net upon which hundreds of thousands of Bronx families depend,” he said, before adding that House Republicans tried to impose the steepest cuts to SNAP [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] in over three decades.

 

According to government officials, SNAP provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford nutritious food essential to health and well-being. “Now, keep in mind that the SNAP program, on average, provides a food budget of about $2 a day,” Torres said. “Slashing a food budget of $2 a day is not about sensibly reducing the deficit. It’s about inflicting pain on the poor. Starving our children of food assistance is not an act of fiscal responsibility. It is an act of cruelty.”

Torres later went on to allege that Trump told lies about the economy. An attendee could be heard shouting, “Liar!” in agreement. Torres said current U.S. President Joe Biden created 15 million jobs upon entering office, whereas Trump lost 3 million jobs, leading to a recession. [Trump was president in March 2020 when the coronavirus hit the U.S., causing a massive blow to its and the world’s economies.]

 

“Donald Trump claims to be a cutter of taxes, but here’s the fact,” Torres continued. “Joe Biden has cut taxes for working families, whereas Donald Trump [INAUDIBLE] the largest tax increase on New York in recent history. The loss of SALT deductibility cost our city $15 billion.”

 

Due to a SALT [State and Local Tax] deduction cap, introduced in 2017 as part of the Trump tax reforms, Torres said New York, including The Bronx, now pays more in taxes to the federal government but receives less in services. According to Reuters, the SALT deduction enables some taxpayers who itemize, versus claiming a standard deduction, to deduct from their federally taxable income certain state and local taxes they have already paid.

 

Trump’s tax reforms in 2017 limited the itemized deduction for state and local taxes to $5,000 for a married person filing a separate return and $10,000 for all other tax filers, as explained by the IRS. The limit applies to tax years 2018 to 2025. Previously, there was no limit so taxpayers could deduct 100% of their state and local taxes paid.

 

According to Reuters, the SALT cap stirred much debate, especially within high-tax states like New York, as opponents argued that it was unconstitutional. In 2018, the governments of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland filed a lawsuit against the Treasury Department and IRS. According to the Tax Policy Center, SALT cap relief for married couples still favors wealthier households.

In terms of cost of living, Torres alleged Trump had done nothing for The Bronx, whereas Biden empowered the federal government to negotiate more affordable drug prices for seniors on Medicare. He said, for example, that Biden had capped the price of insulin at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare. He described this as “a game changer and a life saver for The Bronx,” which he said has some of the highest rates of diabetes in the country.

 

Torres continued, “So don’t be fooled by the deceptive advertising of Donald Trump. Donald Trump is a narcissist with delusions of grandeur. He’s delusional enough to think that he could actually win in The Bronx, that he’s actually competitive in The Bronx. In fact, Donald Trump once declared himself the best president for Black Americans, even surpassing Abraham Lincoln. I think his view is that if only Abraham Lincoln had read, ‘The Art of the Deal,’ the Civil War would have been prevented.” The congressman’s remarks were met with both jeers and laughs. “He was the worst president,” one attendee agreed.

 

Torres also talked about what he called Trump’s worst legacy, a “right-wing U.S. Supreme Court.” He said, “We’ve seen the Supreme Court overturn Roe Vs Wade, opening the floodgates to restrictions on abortion, contraception, and even in vitro fertilization. Donald Trump recently said that he was going to look at even more restrictions if he became president.”

 

The congressman also discussed how in The Bronx were the highest rates of gun violence in the City of New York. “America is the only country in the industrialized world that has an epidemic of mass shootings and gun violence,” he said. “Donald Trump’s Supreme Court struck down a gun safety law here in New York State, causing The Bronx to be flooded with firearms, more so than ever before,” Torres said. “Our young people are dying because of the policies of Donald Trump.”

The congressman said that Trump claimed to be in favor of law enforcement, but was not a defender of the police. “He is a defunder of the police. He wants to defund federal law enforcement, ATF, which is the federal agency in charge of keeping our guns off the streets and keeping the South Bronx safe from the epidemic of gun violence.” Torres concluded, “So, Donald Trump is no friend of The Bronx, and we’re going to deliver a message that is long overdue. Donald Trump, we are ending your political career! You are fired!”

 

Next up was Democratic City Council Member Oswald Feliz (NY-15) who represents Crotona Park, where Trump’s rally took place, along with some or all of Morrisania, Claremont Village-Claremont (East), Crotona Park East, Mount Eden-Claremont (West), Claremont Park, Mount Hope, Fordham Heights, West Farms, Tremont, Belmont, University Heights (North)-Fordham, Bedford Park, Soundview-Bruckner-Bronx River, Pelham Parkway-Van Nest, Allerton, and Bronx Park.

 

“This community, The Bronx, is a community of working families,” Feliz said. “You can walk any neighborhood here and you’ll see our diversity, people of different races, people speaking different languages, people of different religions, and our diverse communities will never forget the history of discrimination against us coming directly from Donald Trump.”

 

Feliz continued, “Our Hispanic communities will never forget the words that he used, words that led to fear, anxiety, and even discrimination against our communities.” Feliz may have been referring to Trump’s comments about Mexicans in 2016 when he said, “They are not our friend, believe me. They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people.”

 

Trump also said, as reported, in relation to immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries, “Why are we having all these people from sh*thole countries come here?”

Feliz added, “Our Asian communities will not forget the stereotype that he amplified during the coronavirus pandemic, falsely implying that the coronavirus was somehow connected to these Asian communities.” The councilman said, similarly, the borough’s Muslim communities would never forget the so-called “Muslim travel ban” implemented during Trump’s presidency, which Feliz said discriminated against Muslims simply because of their religion.

 

Former advisor to Trump, KellyAnne Conway alleged the countries on the Muslim ban list were based on a list already in place under the Obama administration. The Washington Post later addressed this point and clarified the situation.

 

Finally, Feliz said women would not forget those judges who Trump appointed to the Supreme Court, “specifically so they could roll back on reproductive rights and the women’s right to choose.” Feliz concluded, “We all know it. The Donald Trump presidency was chaotic. Legal troubles followed him everywhere he went, him and his friends, but even worse, he even amplified an insurrection after the voters voted him out. So, we are here to say loudly and clearly, and if he thinks he can count on us for a second presidency, he can keep dreaming. You’re fired Donald! You’re going to be fired again!” One attendee shouted, “That’s right!”

 

The next speaker, Arthur Richardson, was introduced by Torres as a man of faith, a man who read the Bible and “not the Trump Bible.” Richardson spoke about the 65 NYCHA (supportive housing) development projects in the borough and how during his presidency, Trump called for rent increases on “folks who were already struggling to make a living,” the elimination of funding for repairs to NYCHA housing, and reforms to the eligibility requirements for such housing.

“Some of these houses are over 50 years, and every year, for four years, he called for the elimination of funding for NYCHA type houses,” Richardson said. “We will say, as our Jewish brothers say, we will never forget Donald Trump, and we will say, ‘Goodbye and good riddance! Thank you.'”

 

After the morning press conference, Bronx locals prepared for the 6 p.m. Trump rally. Among them was Camilo. “I went to the rally to experience where people’s heads are at leading up to the November elections,” he said. Another counterprotest took place at the same time as Trump’s rally in a nearby park near the 174th Street subway station, organized by union leaders.

 

Meanwhile, just outside of the Trump rally, anti-Trump and anti-Biden protesters chanted, “Move b**ch, get out The Bronx!” and held banners that read, “F**k Trump! F**k Biden! The people of the Bronx, we run this shit!”

 

Norwood News reached out to the Trump campaign for comment on the various points made by Democrats during the counterprotest. We did not receive a response.

 

Trump was found guilty of all 34 counts of alleged falsification of business records ahead of the 2016 presidential election by 12 jurors in Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30. He awaits sentencing. Trump continues to maintain his innocence and reportedly plans to appeal the decision.

 

Read our story on the Trump rally here.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.