Former President Donald Trump stopped by a Harlem bodega on Tuesday after wrapping up the second day of his hush money trial in Manhattan, pledging to “straighten New York out” if reelected in November.
“We’re going to straighten New York out. So running for president, we’re putting a big hit in New York. We could win New York,” the former president said.
“We’re going to come in. Number one, you have to stop crime and we’re going to let the police do their job. They have to be given back their authority. They have to be able to do their job,” he added.
The store he visited was the site of a violent attack on Jose Alba, the store clerk who was charged with murder after fatally stabbing an attacker in self-defense in July 2022. The case has drawn public criticism of the district attorney, Alvin Bragg, who oversees the office now prosecuting President Trump.
Mr. Alba, 61, killed Austin Simon, 35, after the latter went behind the counter and pushed and grabbed Mr. Alba. The footage showed Mr. Alba trying to get past Mr. Simon before he stabbed the attacker several times.
During his visit, President Trump took aim at Mr. Bragg and blamed the district attorney for violence in New York City.
“You know where the crime is? In the bodegas where they come and rob them every week,” President Trump said.
“It’s Alvin Bragg’s fault. Alvin Bragg does nothing. He goes after guys like Trump who did nothing wrong. Violent criminal, murderers. They know there are hundreds of murderers all over the city. They know who they are. They don’t pick them up. They go after Trump,” he added.
President Trump called the criminal trial against him a “Biden trial” and suggested that it was an attempt by the Biden administration to keep him “off the campaign trail.”
“This is all politics. This is coming out of the White House. And you know, it makes me campaign locally and that’s okay,” he said. “We’re doing better now than we’ve ever done, so I think it’s having a reverse effect.”
The visit was President Trump’s first campaign appearance since his criminal “hush money” trial began, making him the first former president in U.S. history to stand criminal trial.
Before his arrival, President Trump’s campaign distributed materials to journalists criticizing Mr. Bragg for his handling of the stabbing case, including the weeks Mr. Alba spent jailed at Rikers Island.
Mr. Bragg’s office responded Tuesday after news of President Trump’s plans emerged, saying that the case was “resolved nearly two years ago, and the charges were dismissed after a thorough investigation.”
His office affirmed that Mr. Bragg’s “top priority remains combating violent crime and the office has worked hand in hand with the NYPD [New York Police Department] to drive down overall crime in Manhattan.”
