OAN Staff Sophia Flores
4:31 PM – Friday, May 22, 2026
President Donald Trump rallied voters in a swing district of New York ahead of a highly competitive key midterm House race.
During a Friday speech in Suffern, New York, where he was introduced by New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, Trump appeared alongside Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) to promote a tax law passed last year that Lawler helped broker.
Lawler, who’s up for reelection in the Empire State, is in what is one of the most closely watched House races this November.
Trump referred to the congressman as “fantastic” and joked about how Lawler was a “pain in the a**” while he badgered the Trump administration on expanding deduction. Following his efforts, Lawler was able to convince the president to quadruple the deduction for state and local taxes, which is critical in a high-tax state like New York.
“Mike is fantastic, he really is. But I have to tell you, he’s a total pain in the ass when it comes to his district,” Trump said. “He wouldn’t leave us alone about the tax deductions. He was in the Oval Office, he was on the phone, constantly badgering us, saying ‘Mr. president, we need this for New York, we have to expand it.’ And because he didn’t quit, we got it done. We quadrupled it, and it’s a massive victory for this state.”
The president then invited Lawler on stage, where he thanked Trump “for working with me to deliver a big win” for residents who live in his district. The congressman also revealed that more than 90% of the people in New York District 17 were able to fully deduct their state and local taxes.
“Mr. president, I want to thank you for working with me to deliver a big win for the hardworking families right here in the Hudson Valley,” Lawler stated. “People were being crushed by the old system. Because of the framework we built together, more than 90% of the people in my district are now able to fully deduct their state and local taxes. That is real money staying in the pockets of middle-class New Yorkers.”
Trump continued by pledging to make New York great again, emphasizing that the Empire State is full of talent.
He blamed New York’s recent decline on bad policies, corrupt politicians, and “foolish radical left idiocy.” However, Trump also asserted that his administration would make the state “bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”
“There is so much talent, so much incredible potential in the state of New York,” the president said. “It’s a magnificent place. But recently, the state has been held back by bad policy, bad politicians, and quite frankly, foolish radical left idiocy. They’re driving people out. But my administration is working hand-in-hand with fighters like Mike to bring New York back bigger, better and stronger than ever before.”
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