Hundreds of black and Hispanic Trump fans descend on the Bronx to cheer him and slam Dems for 'lying' that he's racist
Mostly Hispanic and black Trump supporters gathered at Crotona Park Thursday READ MORE: Trump set for historic Bronx rally
Next door to rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes' district, a majority-minority crowd came out to support Donald Trump in the Bronx.
Hundreds of mostly Hispanic and Black Trump supporters gathered at Crotona Park on Thursday hours before the Republican candidate for president's rally in one of the most Democratic counties in the nation.
Despite president Joe Biden's recent comments that another Trump presidency would represent a threat to Black Americans, rally-goers told DailyMail.com their actual fear is a second Biden term.
'Biden is president. He's currently a threat to black people. So that's what I say about that,' said Lily Robinson, from the Bronx.
'We definitely cannot continue to keep going in the direction that we're going in,' she added. 'I'm here because I want to show support for Trump as a black person and just in general.'
'Biden is president. He's currently a threat to black people. So that's what I say about that,' said Lily Robinson, from the Bronx.
Her friend Jasmine Gray, from New Jersey, added: 'A lot of people said nobody was going to show up because I was in the Bronx. And I know that's just a fear tactic. That's a fear mongering tactics'
Her friend Jasmine Gray, from New Jersey, added: 'A lot of people said nobody was going to show up because the rally was in the Bronx. And I know that's just a fear tactic. That's fear mongering tactics.'
When asked whether Trump represented a threat to Black Americans, Keith from Detroit recalled Biden's 2020 comments where he claimed those who couldn't decide between him and Trump 'ain't black.'
Keith, who travels the country following Trump rallies, told DailyMail.com: 'You know, [Biden] told me I wasn't black when I didn't vote for him - and I voted for Trump twice.
'One thing I like about Trump, he opened a door for people to think a little bit more and look behind the curtain a little bit more.'
Navarra, 19, said she attended the rally because the country 'needs' Trump. She's originally from Bangladesh
Christina Gallagher, born and raised in the Bronx, attended the rally to to support Trump and ask for congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortes to be fired
At the entrance for the line, a booth where attendees could change their registration from Democrat to Republican was popular.
Angel, a young Latino man from Brooklyn, said he used to be a Democrat but slowly turned away from the party over the last decade.
'It was a 10-year process,' he said when asked why he turned to the Republican Party.
'It was chipping away and chipping away, and one day I woke up and was a conservative. Holy sh** how did that happen?
'But yeah, it just took time. Once you get out of your little circle and get to meet new people... They say you're not supposed to. But then you start seeing what life or reality is.'
Two young men from Long Island, Salvador and Walter said they support Trump because he represents the American Dream that their parents left El Salvador for
When asked whether Trump represented a threat to Black Americans, Keith from Detroit recalled Biden's 2020 comments where he claimed those who couldn't decide between him and Trump 'ain't black'
Angel, a young Latino man from Brooklyn, said he used to be a Democrat but slowly turned away from the party over the last decade
When asked about claims by Democrats that Trump is a racist, Angel said 'they're the actual racists.'
'I noticed that when I became a conservative, that's the most racism I've ever experienced - from blacks, Hispanics, whites that are liberal. I encountered more racism from liberals than when I was when I was a liberal.'
Nearby, a Latino group was dancing to the Trump's popular Spanish campaign song.
'Voy a votar por Donald Trump!' they screamed in unison. ('I'm going to vote for Donald Trump.')
Two young men from Long Island were helping with the registrations, and said they support Trump because he represents the American Dream that their parents left El Salvador for.
That 'American Dream', according to them, has been put in danger by the Biden administration over the last four years.
Walter, 27, said: 'I think that today is a testament of the love and support that Latinos have for the president. We have been registering people all day ever since we got here.
'And we have actually gotten a lot of Democratic Latinos who are registered Democrat currently, but want to reregister, all because of the president [Trump].'
A Latino group dances to the Trump campaign 's popular Spanish jingle
'Voy a votar por Donald Trump!' they screamed in unison. ('I'm going to vote for Donald Trump')
Walter added: 'For a long time Democrats promised a lot, whether it's immigration reform that protects Americans and public safety here, a lot of promises that they deliver economically.
'Latinos come here for the American Dream. We're not seeing the American dream.'
Walter's friend Saldavor weighed in: 'They always have this rhetoric that [Trump's] a racist and he's not. He's a phenomenal human being. He cares about the everyday hard worker.'
When asked about Trump's promise of mass deportations, both young men said they support clamping down on illegal immigration.
Salvador said: 'My mother came here 30 years ago, and it's not fair that somebody that has been here for a long time, they pay their taxes and somebody that just crosses the border, they got everything.
'It's not fair. If you ask all of the Latinos that are here, they'll tell you that it's not fair at all.'
As he seeks the presidency for a third time, Trump is aiming to win over black and Hispanic voters - both groups that he has seen gains in.
People with Dominican Republic and US flags chant while waiting in line to attend a rally for former US President Donald Trump at Crotona Park in the Bronx borough of New York
As he seeks the presidency for a third time, Trump is aiming to win over black and Hispanic voters - both groups that he has seen gains in
'Have you seen our poll numbers with African Americans and with Hispanic Americans? But I’m not that surprised because I see it, I feel it,' Trump declared during a rally in Atkinson, New Hampshire, days before the state’s primary.
'We did great in 2016, we did much better in 2020 but there is much more enthusiasm now.'
Most black Americans continue to support Biden. Still, black voters are flocking to Trump in huge numbers, while simultaneously leaving President Biden, CNN's average of polls showed.
Trump's support among black voters surged to 22 percent compared to 2020, when the 45th president only had the support of 9 percent of the demographic.
Biden, on the other hand, saw his 81 percent of black voter support in 2020 dip to 69 percent.
CNN data analyst Harry Enten said this could be a 'troubling sign' for the Biden campaign, which heavily relied on black voters to get him into the White House last time around.
If the trend of black voters aligning with Trump continues, he could win a larger share of them than any Republican presidential candidate since 1960, Enten added.
Trump’s campaign believes he can chip away at President Biden’s support among Black and Hispanic voters, particularly younger men who may not follow politics closely, but are frustrated by their economic situations and drawn to Trump’s tough-guy persona.
Trump’s campaign believes he can chip away at President Biden’s support among Black and Hispanic voters
Biden’s campaign on Thursday released two ads aimed at undercutting Trump’s attempts to make inroads with Black voters, highlighting his propagation of the “birther” conspiracy against former President Barack Obama and his calls for the death penalty for five men wrongly convicted of rape in the 1989 Central Park Five case.
A radio ad fictionalizing a conversation between a Trump campaign volunteer and a Black voter will air on national Black radio stations while a shorter television spot will air in major cities, in swing states and on digital platforms, aiming to reach voters in the Bronx near Trump’s rally.
The Bronx was once the most Democratic borough in the city. Barack Obama won 91.2 percent of the borough’s vote in 2012, the highest anywhere in the state. Biden won 83.5% of the borough in 2020. Trump garnered only 16 percent of the vote.
The area Trump is visiting is overwhelmingly non-white — a departure from most of his rally locations.
About 65 percent of residents are Hispanic and 31 percent Black, according to U.S. Census data. About 35 percent live below the poverty line.