Boost or bust? Trump stumps for Lawler

Mike Lawler with President Trump at the Rockland Community College event last week. MIKE LAWLER FACEBOOK PAGE

By MARTIN WILBUR

Democrats and Republicans and their supporters provided vastly different reactions to President Donald Trump’s visit last week to Rockland Community College, a stop that was made to help boost Congressman Mike Lawler’s reelection prospects.

President Trump spoke for about 85 minutes in his May 22 appearance, lauding Lawler for fighting for the reinstatement of a larger state and local tax property deduction and for being an ally in Congress. He also endorsed Lawler’s bid for a third term this November. 

“Mike Lawler’s fantastic. He’s been fantastic,” Trump said before a cheering throng of supporters. “I call him Mr. SALT. He didn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop. He was driving us crazy. We have to get SALT, we have to get SALT back, and he got it back, and he’s a terrific guy, and you’re lucky to have him. I’ll tell you he loves you. He’s done things, he’s done things here.”

The president was referring to the lifting of the cap on state and local income tax deductions from $10,000 in his signature 2017 tax bill to $40,000. Republicans and Democrats in high-tax states fought to eliminate or significantly raise the cap, with Lawler being one of the loudest voices. 

Despite the excitement at Trump stumping for Lawler, Democrats are once again targeting the 17th Congressional District seat with it being one of a few nationwide that voted for Kamala Harris for president but elected a Republican congressional representative. 

With Trump’s polls lagging and the party out of power generally having an advantage in mid-term elections, the Democrats are eyeing the 17th Congressional District as a potential pickup in their bid to retake the House. Rockland County Legislator Beth Davidson and military veteran Cait Conley are considered the co-favorites in the race. They and the three other Democrats vying for their party’s nomination will face off on June 23 in the primary.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called Lawler “Trump’s lapdog” for backing his economic plans and supporting the war in Iran, which has worsened the affordability problems for many of his constituents.

“Nothing says I don’t care about 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,” DCCC spokesperson Riya Vashi said in a statement. “From skyrocketing gas and groceries to unaffordable housing and health care, Lawler bearhugging the unpopular architect of this economic disaster in his own district is just the latest reminder for Hudson Valley voters that their so-called representative will always put Donald Trump first, and they sure as hell won’t forget it come November.”

Maureen O’Toole, spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Trump’s visit was to help energize the base for Lawler, who has overperformed in his congressional victories. Lawler won his race in 2024 by about 10 percentage points, despite Harris winning the district. But the congressman also pushes back against the president when warranted, she said.

“While Beth Davidson, Cait Conley and Effie Phillips-Staley are peddling the same tax-and-spend policies that have made New York one of the most unaffordable states in the nation, President Trump and Mike Lawler have worked tirelessly to right the ship,” O’Toole said. “Thanks to their efforts, Hudson Valley families saw the SALT deduction quadruple, their paycheck grow and their taxes go down. Voters know Mike Lawler always puts their needs first, and that’s why they’ll send him back to Washington in November.”

For his part, Lawler said it was an honor to welcome Trump to the district last week.

“If you want to get things done, you have to be in the arena. You have to have a seat at the table and fight for your community,” Lawler said. “That’s exactly how I approached the fight for Hudson Valley families. I made a promise that I would not support a tax package that left New Yorkers behind, and I fought every step of the way to deliver real relief. Together, we secured the largest tax cut in the package and put thousands of dollars back into the pockets of hardworking families.”

But Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, an organization committed to saving the 91-year-old program and to ensure proper funding of health care and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, said Saturday during the weekly rally in Mount Kisco, that Lawler has voted to give away trillions of dollars for health care and food for the hungry to give tax breaks to billionaires.

“This is about life and death,” Lawson said. “This is about our dignity and our democracy and they are stealing it to give it to the worst people you can imagine.”