The Bronx is the birthplace of the New York Yankees, Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, just to name a few. So why did former President Donald Trump hold a campaign rally on Thursday at Crotona Park in the city limits of one of the most Democratic strongholds in the U.S.?
Location, location, location: one of New York City's five boroughs, 56% of the Bronx's population identified as Hispanic or Latino, 28% as Black, 8% as White, and nearly 4% as Asian, according to 2022 data compiled by New York University's Furman Center. And for President Joe Biden, polling numbers suggest that support from Hispanic voters is weakening.
Rep. Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican raised in Brooklyn, was the only elected official to join Trump on stage. Leading chants of "USA! USA! USA!", Donalds declared the Bronx "MAGA country" before an enthusiastic crowd of at least 1,000 people.
Based on earlier reporting by USA Today, there are signs that Trump has the potential to improve his standing. His 2020 performance was an improvement from 2016, when he won just 10% in the Bronx. That was similar to shifts nationally that showed movement toward Trump among voters of color, particularly Latinos and especially Latino men.
This year, polling has shown Trump with a greater share of Latinos and young voters than he had in previous elections, although there are also signs that support is slipping.
More: Can Biden count on Hispanic voters in a Trump rematch? Weakening support raises alarm for 2024.
During his speech, Trump, the businessman and self-proclaimed billionaire, told the predominantly young and male crowd that he would "get the job done" if elected back into the White House in November.
"If we win New York, we'll win the whole thing, wouldn't that be nice?" he asked.
So, how has the Bronx voted in past elections? Here are the numbers, according to the New York City Board of Elections:
Presidential Election
Joe Biden (Democratic and Working Families parties): 355,374 votes
Donald Trump, incumbent (Republican and Conservative parties): 67,740
13th Congressional District
Adriano Espaillat, incumbent (Democratic and Working Families parties): 46,371 votes
Lovelynn Gwinn (Republican): 5,884 votes
Christopher Morris-Perry (Conservative): 787 votes
14th Congressional District
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, incumbent (Democratic): 52,860 votes
John Cummings (Republican and Conservative parties): 23,938 votes
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (Serve America Movement): 592 votes
15th Congressional District
Ritchie Torres (Democratic): 169,533 votes
Patrick Delices (Republican and Conservative parties): 21,221 votes
16th Congressional District
Jamaal Bowman (Democratic): 82,344 votes
Patrick Mcmanus (Conservative): 8,261 votes
Ben Adler contributed to the reporting of this story.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Trump and surrogates claim the Bronx for MAGA. What about past elections?
