In his first marketing campaign cease since his felony trial in Manhattan started, former President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday visited a bodega in Harlem the place he made a pointed assault on the district legal professional prosecuting him and portrayed himself as powerful on crime, a central theme of his 2024 run.
His go to to the shop — the positioning of a case that prompted political controversy for Manhattan’s district legal professional when an worker was charged after fatally stabbing a person after a confrontation — made for a placing juxtaposition.
After spending a lot of the day in a Manhattan courtroom as a felony defendant, Mr. Trump instantly traveled uptown each to criticize the district legal professional, Alvin Bragg, for being too lenient on crime and to play up his “regulation and order” message.
Mr. Trump has for months tried to attract a distinction between his regularly expressed tough-on-crime stance and the felony expenses he faces in 4 separate circumstances. Outdoors the bodega, he once more tried to dismiss his expenses as political persecution, arguing that Mr. Bragg was too centered on Mr. Trump’s 2016 marketing campaign intercourse scandal cover-up trial and was ignoring crime within the metropolis.
“It’s Alvin Bragg’s fault,” Mr. Trump mentioned. “Alvin Bragg does nothing.”
Although Mr. Trump is prevented by a gag order from attacking witnesses, prosecutors and jurors in his New York case, the order doesn’t cowl Mr. Bragg or the decide overseeing his trial.
Earlier than he arrived on the bodega, his marketing campaign attacked Mr. Bragg over his dealing with of the 2022 incident, wherein Jose Alba, a clerk, was charged with second-degree homicide after stabbing a person, Austin Simon, in an altercation.
Mr. Bragg and his workplace have been criticized on the time for charging Mr. Alba, as surveillance video confirmed Mr. Simon shoving Mr. Alba, elevating questions on whether or not Mr. Alba had acted in self-defense. Prosecutors finally dropped the case, saying they’d be unable to “show past an affordable doubt that the defendant was not justified in his use of lethal bodily pressure.”
On the bodega on Tuesday night, Mr. Trump briefly met with the shop’s proprietor and Mr. Alba’s lawyer. He additionally spoke with Francisco Marte, the founding father of the Bodega and Small Enterprise Affiliation, which represents bodegas in New York and which has attacked Mr. Bragg over the case.
After their dialog, Mr. Trump repeated criticisms about liberal politicians which have turn out to be customary marketing campaign strains, depicting Democratic-run cities as being riddled with crime and attacking their leaders for being overly lax and against regulation and order.
Earlier than he left, Mr. Trump shook fingers and posed for a photograph with a bunch of uniformed New York law enforcement officials, an atypical transfer for a lot of felony defendants. He usually takes images with law enforcement officials at political stops after they’ve helped guard his motorcade.
And he once more repeated his criticism of President Biden’s dealing with of the surge of migrants of the border, arguing that the disaster was harming folks of coloration as a result of migrants have been taking their jobs.
That message resonated with a few of his supporters, who had come to catch a glimpse of the previous president.
“That is the worst metropolis for all these migrants,” Lesandra Carrion, 47, mentioned. She mentioned that she believed the border had been safer when Mr. Trump was in workplace and that she didn’t consider Mr. Biden “did something for this nation.”
And Mr. Trump’s felony expenses, she mentioned, didn’t fear her, including that he would win in 2024.
“He’s going to beat that,” Ms. Carrion mentioned. “It’s all allegations.”
Mr. Trump was greeted by a big crowd when he arrived outdoors the shop, and the encompassing blocks in Harlem have been lined with folks standing behind police barricades hoping to catch a glimpse.
As could be anticipated on condition that Mr. Trump misplaced overwhelmingly in New York, his former dwelling state, in 2016 and 2020, his reception was not all optimistic. A gaggle of protesters additionally arrived to jeer him, shouting, “Dump Trump” and waving indicators earlier than his arrival.
Different passers-by cursed in frustration as a result of police barricades stretched for a metropolis block, breaking easy accessibility to sidewalks, their residences or the shop.
Nonetheless, regardless of the blended response, Mr. Trump promised to “make a giant play for New York,” suggesting he would make extra marketing campaign stops after his courtroom appearances and will simply marketing campaign regionally.
Lacretia McNeil, 40, whose daughter sat on her shoulder whereas she recorded the looks, mentioned Mr. Trump’s resolution to go to Harlem was a wise effort “to rally up the votes.” Her daughter puzzled aloud concerning the level of visiting a retailer.
Mr. Trump might be current within the courtroom when his trial is in session, and it’s anticipated to final a minimum of six weeks. However he’s anticipated to carry extra occasions like Tuesday’s bodega cease on evenings after court docket.
Marketing campaign aides have additionally explored planning rallies on Wednesdays, when the trial is predicted to pause every week, and he’ll more than likely proceed to carry rallies on weekends.
Bernard Mokam contributed reporting.