A SALT-y crowd for Trump's Coliseum rally?

Daily Point

Before LI event, Trump makes an offer NYers can't refuse

With more than 60,000 people as of Monday requesting tickets for former President Donald Trump’s Wednesday rally at Nassau Coliseum, it may be no surprise that Trump is latching on to one campaign issue on which everyone on Long Island seems to agree: the return of SALT, the state and local tax deduction on federal income taxes.

On Tuesday, Trump celebrated the predicted crowd, saying he expected Nassau Coliseum to "be PACKED with Patriots!"

"We have a real chance of winning, for the first time in many decades, New York," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

In his post, Trump promised to "get SALT back."

That would overturn a change initiated by Trump himself. Trump capped SALT at $10,000 in 2017, as part of his tax cuts and jobs act, leaving many Long Islanders with higher tax bills. To date, attempts to undo the SALT deduction cap have been unsuccessful. It is set to sunset next year.

"I’ll work with the Democrat Governor and Mayor, and make sure the funding is there to bring New York State back to levels it hasn’t seen for 50 years," Trump wrote. "People are fleeing, maybe we’ll get them to ‘flee back!’ See you at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday at 7 p.m. EST!"

Meanwhile, despite the already-large expected turnout, former Rep. Lee Zeldin also promoted Trump’s rally in an email to supporters Tuesday afternoon.

"We need your help to make it massive," Zeldin wrote, including a link for sign-ups.

The Coliseum, which usually holds about 16,000 people for concerts that include floor seating, is expected to have large screens outside for those unable to make it in the building. Officials have said they expect people will park in lots at Eisenhower Park or Mitchel Field, as the Coliseum parking lot is already locked down.

For the tens of thousands of people anticipating a Trump sighting, a SALT promise may be just the start of a list of promises geared to pleasing a raucous Long Island crowd. Along with SALT, Trump’s post also highlighted the migrant crisis and inflation.

For an arena once celebrated for Stanley Cup hockey, that’s a whole different kind of hat trick.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

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Final Point

Campaigning limited for Martinez’s SD4 rival

Two of Long Island’s nine state senators are Democrats. One of them is Monica Martinez of Brentwood. A former Suffolk County legislator, she was elected in 2018, served a term in the chamber, lost her first bid for reelection, then returned to the Senate by winning in 2022 in the newly configured 4th Senate District.

On Monday, the Washington-based Republican State Leadership Committee announced it would "spotlight" the district race and give an email and social-media push to Martinez’s Republican challenger, Teresa J. Bryant, and two other State Senate candidates off Long Island.

But as of Tuesday, sources close to Bryant, a registered nurse who ran unsuccessfully last year for a Suffolk County legislative seat, said she has had a recent "medical issue" that keeps her from traveling around to campaign events. The sources told The Point that she has been working the phones from home to gather support and remains a candidate. She could not immediately be reached for comment.

The GOP committee’s boost for Bryant doesn’t come with funding but the committee could help out with financial support at some point, according to Politico New York. Others backed by the committee, which has been pushing for women and candidates of color, are in races north of New York City — Dorey Houle against Sen. James Skoufis and Tricia Lindsay against Sen. Shelley Mayer. The incumbents there, like Martinez, are considered favorites for reelection.

Democrats hold a two-thirds supermajority in the Senate.

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

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