A Trump supporter is seen wearing a red, white and blue jersey with “right wing” stitched on the back as a Trump 2024 flag waves in the back. Photo Courtesy: Ethan Albin / The Hofstra Chronicle

On Wednesday, Sept. 18, former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump hosted a campaign rally at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum just 48 days from the election.

Hofstra students, faculty and public safety officers anticipated heavy traffic on the Hempstead Turnpike, and for a massive crowd to attend the rally. On Monday, Sept. 16, Hofstra announced that all classes after 1 p.m. on Wednesday would be held virtually, and anyone entering the campus would be required to show proof of Hofstra ID to a public safety officer, to prevent rally-goers from parking in Hofstra’s lots.

The Pride was still tense, as many students were on campus for their morning classes that remained in-person. Many commuters were concerned about their safety and increased commute times, and although there was heightened security both on and off campus, many students believed that classes should have been taught online for the entire day.

After an apparent assassination attempt was made on the former president on Sunday, Sept. 15 at his Florida golf club, many were questioning whether there should even be a rally so close to Hofstra’s campus.

“I’m very concerned about my safety because I think it was two days ago or a day ago there was another assassination attempt on Trump,” said Nia Ojuro, a senior health science major. Ojuro is the secretary for Hofstra’s Black Student Union and events coordinator of Strictly Steppin’.

Public Safety released a statement regarding security measures that would be taken to maintain a safe and orderly environment.

“Public Safety has been in communication with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety and security of the campus during former President Trump’s upcoming rally. In addition to steps taken by Hofstra’s administration to limit in-person activities, Public Safety will have an increased presence on Wednesday and those driving on campus should be prepared to show Hofstra identification.”

To solidify this statement, all gates around campus that are not regularly monitored were closed and locked to the Hofstra campus would be protected during the rally.

Security was a major concern, but many Hofstra students begroaned the impacts the rally would make on their commute to and from the University.

“It’s going to be hell commuting to campus because people are going to be at the stadium at like 4 a.m. in the morning, waiting outside for hours … I feel like all classes should go virtual just for the time being until this whole event is over,” said commuter student, Hailey Falta, a freshman double majoring in drama and communications. Falta is from Seaford in Nassau County.

Falta’s assumptions were correct. The rally, set to begin at 7 p.m., allowed attendees to enter the Coliseum at 3 p.m., but many camped outside of the Coliseum the night before, as early as 10 p.m. And while the venue’s seats only hold 16,000 people, supporters of Trump flooded the Coliseum grounds to secure a position in line that would allow for an in-person seating experience.

Merchandise vendors lined the road and inside the gates to the venue. Hats, flags, shirts and posters with “Trump 2024,” “Trump Vance 2024” and “Maga,” were sported by majority of the attendees, in passionate support of the former president.

The queue to enter the venue zig-zagged throughout the entire Coliseum parking lot, with many of the lines merging. This led to heated arguments between attendees, as some supporters accused others of cutting lines.

However, the majority of attendees remained positive. Many were filled with joy and pride that the former president was visiting Uniondale. Singers with boomboxes serenaded those standing in line. Throughout the entire afternoon, chants of “GO AMERICA GO” AND “U-S-A, U-S-A” were common, breaking out in the line to enter the venue.

At one entrance to the Coliseum, a pro-Haitian immigration protest showed out in support. This follows former President Trump’s baseless claim during the ABC Presidential Debate earlier this September that Haitian immigrants in Ohio and Colorado were eating cats and dogs. “NO MORE HATE, NO MORE HATE” was a common chant from the protesters.

Starting as early as 1 p.m., students walked in groups down Hempstead Turnpike, from the north side of campus to the Coliseum. Some students wore Trump merchandise, including hats, shirts, jackets and flags tied around their necks.

Junior communications major, Peter Mudge, attended and was satisfied with Trump’s rally. “[Trump] was really aggressive because this is obviously an important state and no Republican has won since 1988,” Mudge said. “He was trying to swing the vote and he made some good points … it was a neat experience no matter what party you’re a part of.”

Other students attended the rally out of curiosity and interest. One student who preferred to remain anonymous does not support Trump, but went to the rally because of its proximity to the university. “It’s right down the street, I might as well just go and see it and actually see Trump supporters in person … It’s easy to see why he has such a large following like this out here. He’s kind of charismatic …,” the student said. As a Long Island native, he thinks that Trump selected the Coliseum due to its smaller stadium size, mainly to create the illusion of a bigger crowd rather than a larger stadium with fewer attendees. This speculation comes after Vice President Kamala Harris compared Trump’s rally sizes to that of her own. In a New York Times article comparing the two candidates’ crowd sizes, it was found that Harris had 3,500 more attendees at recent events than Trump.

The article also claimed that “event organizers may strategically choose venues with a small capacity like college campus buildings where only a few hundred can attend.”

Christian Rosario, a junior political science major and student public safety officer, thought it was odd for a Trump rally to take place at the Coliseum. “What I can tell you is this, I find it quite odd that he’s gonna do a rally here, considering that New York is not a swing state,” said Rosario, who registers as a Republican and is a member of the College Republicans here at Hofstra. “It’s guaranteed that Kamala Harris is gonna win New York”.

Lea Forstedinell, a senior management major, is an international student from Sweden. “I was just curious to see what type of people I’d see here,” Forstedinell said. As a senior, she is unsure if she will continue to live in New York if Trump is elected president. “I’m a young woman, everything involving reproductive rights, and as an international student, it could become a lot harder for us to stay here after we graduate.”

Around 7 p.m., Trump walked out on to a long, red-carpeted stage, and immediately began speaking on the prominent issues discussed during this election season. He placed a heavy emphasis on immigration, inflation and crime. While primarily attacking Kamala’s role as “border czar,” he also referenced policy stances that she took in 2020, including defunding the police and a fracking ban.

The former president employed broad language, claiming that “the middle class has been eviscerated” by the Democrats, and that America has become a “third-world nation.”

He spoke harshly about his home state, describing New York as a place that is “under failed Democrat rule.”

Among the initiatives he proposed, Trump said he would reinstate S.A.L.T. deductions, which allowed taxpayers to be reimbursed for some state and local taxes on their federal tax return.

Trump touted endorsements from the Teamsters and New York City Fire Union Local 94, citing how the Teamsters have been long-standing supporters of Democrats. The Teamsters Union declined to endorse Trump or Harris, and it is unknown if Union Local 94 has endorsed Trump.

Trump invigorated his base by repeating his strict plans for deportation and a radical overhaul of the immigration system. He claimed that homeless veterans are being neglected in favor of illegal immigrants.

He also laid out promises of “the greatest economy in the history of our world, … country and New York state,” contrasting that with some frightening rhetoric about immigrants originating “from prisons and jails, mental institutions and insane asylums…”

The former President elaborated, saying his border policies were crucial to his first victory while claiming it has gotten “25 times” worse during the Biden administration. He made note of Springfield, Ohio, but avoided any mention of Haitian immigrants. Instead, he focused on Spanish-speaking children with interpreters and other nuanced examples of immigration. He also discussed the criminal organization MS-13 in length, graphically describing murders they committed to highlight his record on crime.

He also took time to berate Harris’ tax plan, especially her proposal of an unrealized capital gains tax (which only applies to capital gains exceeding $100 million). He repeatedly mocked Harris, saying “Vote for me, I’ll raise your taxes” several times.

The former president doubled down on language originally directed toward a predominantly African-American audience. He referenced his famous “What do you have to lose?” quote from years ago and the blowback he received from advisors. However, on Wednesday, he echoed those very sentiments and claimed to have seen unprecedented support from the Black and Hispanic communities.

Political science professor Rosanna Perotti, the organizer behind Hofstra Votes, explained why there is such a focus on immigration within the Trump campaign, and referenced a bipartisan border security bill that was rejected earlier this year. “The immigration issue is a game changer for suburban districts, and that’s why solving the immigration problem would’ve been problematic for the Republicans,” Perotti said.

Trump concluded the rally by urging the voters to turn out, in a style that perhaps only he could. His final words to the average joe: “Harry, get your fat ass out of the couch and vote for Trump.”