Trump veers off-topic during speech in New York that was supposed to be
on the economy
[May 23, 2026]
By SEUNG MIN KIM and DARLENE SUPERVILLE
SUFFERN, New York (AP) — President Donald Trump, from a toss-up
congressional district in New York on Friday, began testing his midterm
message that was ostensibly on the economy.
But he veered off-topic right from the start, going off on tangents
about voter identification, crime in cities, transgender women in sports
and “Dumocrats,” his new chosen moniker for the opposition party. He
complained that toiletries are locked up in pharmacies, making them
harder to buy, and polled the audience on what he should call his
predecessor, former President Joe Biden.
Eventually, he landed on the topic of the speech, telling the crowd that
he and his party worked to slash taxes and increase take-home pay, while
Democrats opposed the effort at every turn.
"I cut your taxes, cut the taxes on workers, families, small business,
who are the soul of this state," Trump said to the audience at Rockland
Community College. Listing off the various provisions of the tax law,
the president said: “These are all Republican tax cuts. The Democrats
voted against every one of these tax cuts.”
Trump traveled to the Hudson Valley area to appear with Republican Rep.
Mike Lawler, who is up for reelection in what will be one of the most
closely watched House races this November, for an event meant to promote
the tax law Trump signed last year, particularly the quadrupling of the
deduction for state and local taxes, which is critical in a high-tax
state like New York.
Trump called Lawler “fantastic” and mused about how the congressman was
a “pain in the ass” as he badgered the administration on expanding the
deduction.
He pulled Lawler onstage during the event, and the congressman thanked
the president “for working with me to deliver a big win” for the people
in his district. He said that more than 90% of the people in his
district were able to fully deduct their state and local taxes.
Also appearing with the president at the event Friday was Nassau County
Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Trump-backed Republican candidate for New
York governor. Trump said, “Guys like Mike Lawler, guys like Bruce
Blakeman, you put them in, they’ll turn it around.”
Trying to reverse a slumping approval rating
The White House has been looking for more opportunities to highlight
Trump’s economic accomplishments as his approval rating on the economy
has slumped. About one-third of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is
handling the economy, according to a new AP-NORC poll, down slightly
from 40% at the start of Trump's second term. Trump had promised to
bring prices down, but gasoline prices have surged this year due to the
war in Iran.
Lawler is just one of three House Republicans who represent a district
won by Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2024. Unlike
the other two — retiring Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon and Pennsylvania Rep.
Brian Fitzpatrick, who’s been a critic of Trump policies — Lawler has
chosen to embrace the polarizing president in hopes of not alienating
Republican voters who support the party’s leader.
“Look, the people who hate the president — and that’s their sole basis
for their vote — are likely never voting for me, and you know,
obviously, you need to turn out your base, and you need people
energized,” Lawler told The Associated Press in an interview on the
sidelines of the White House congressional picnic earlier this week.
“Moreover, I have a record in my district that is one I’m very proud of,
and a record that appeals to a broad middle.”
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President Donald Trump looks up as he speaks during a Fighting For
American Workers event, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Suffern, N.Y. (AP
Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Lawler, wearing a red ball cap emblazoned with “Mr. SALT,” the
acronym for the state and local tax deduction he fought to include
in the bill, added, “I am confident that I will be reelected on my
own merits and my own record.”
Trump established a SALT cap in 2017 through his Tax Cuts and Jobs
Act. Last year’s law expanded the SALT deduction to $40,000 from
$10,000 after arduous negotiations with Republicans, including
Lawler, whose district has high local taxes. The law also raised the
average tax refund for New Yorkers to more than $3,800, according to
data provided by the White House.
“My constituents were seeing anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 refund
checks, which is pretty massive,” said Lawler, who said he wanted to
give Trump one of his “Mr. SALT” ball caps.
A competitive House race in New York
Trump formally endorsed Lawler for reelection last year, although it
came at a time when the congressman was publicly mulling a run for
governor of New York. The endorsement was viewed as a way to keep
Lawler in a reelection bid rather than opening up a competitive
House seat.
Five Democrats are vying for the party's nomination to compete
against Lawler in the general election. The Democratic primary is
June 23.
“Nothing says ‘I don’t understand my district’ quite like Mike
Lawler bringing Donald Trump to NY-17 to tout a disastrous economy
that’s crushing working families at every turn,” said Riya Vashi, a
spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Richard Hudson
disputed that, arguing that Trump's Friday appearance will
“absolutely” help.
“His poll numbers are pretty good in Lawler’s district,” said
Hudson, a North Carolina congressman. The NRCC has been polling in
competitive districts and Hudson said the “president’s numbers are
good. Democratic numbers are tanking.”
The remarks were an official White House event and not a campaign
one, said Lawler, who noted that more than 5,000 people registered
to attend in the first 12 hours that a sign-up was available.
___
Kim reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Joey
Cappelletti and Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this
report.
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