In the wake of the 2020 rallies effectively postponed by the COVID-19 Pandemic, many groups across the country took it upon themselves to organize their own displays of support for then-President Donald Trump (R-FL), with the primary modes of display being car parades.
Parades were seen across the country, from downtown Portland, Oregon, to northern New Jersey. But on Long Island, one group took to making the parades a de facto trademark: the Long Island Loud Majority (LILM).
Now under the leadership of Kevin Smith (pictured above), one of the founders of the organization, LILM has kicked off the rally season with a car parade that ran from the Massapequa LIRR station to Babylon’s Cedar Beach on the afternoon of Saturday, June 8.
“This took a few days to plan,” Smith told The Messenger. “The response has been great,” he added, stating that nearly 3,000 attendees showed up for the parade.
“I think Donald Trump is going to be the first Republican president to win the popular vote in the last twenty years, and that’s going to come through Long Island,” said Smith. “If he is going to win the popular vote, New York is going to be key in that.”
Smith addressed the crowd and discussed how keeping the attention on New York is vital to an aggressive push for the state on November’s Electoral College map. The state has not backed a Republican nominee since it opted for Ronald Reagan (R-CA) in 1984. Smith cited the latest Emerson College poll that shows President Joe Biden (D-DE) up just seven points when third-party candidates are included. Biden won New York by over twenty-three points in 2020.
“When you look at how Donald Trump is doing around the country, no matter what they throw at him, no matter how many times they arrest him, no matter how many times these charges are thrown at him, he continues to rise in the polls,” Smith told the crowd. Smith added that the way a vote can spread across the map is by registering voters. Smith and LILM registered four hundred voters at Trump’s Bronx rally last month. He also added that a friend he’s known for “thirty years” that was not “involved in politics” registered to vote before the rally officially kicked off.
“There are so many people not engaged in the political process, and then they wonder why their lives suck,” said Smith. “Their lives suck because they are not grabbing the opportunity they have and running with it. If you wait for elected officials or members of Congress to save this country, we are screwed.”
Smith added that large media outlets, such as Newsday and News 12, were not on hand to cover the thousands of people rallying in Massapequa, despite their coverage of much smaller events in size and scope.
“They’re nowhere to be found and they wonder why nobody trusts the media anymore,” said Smith.
Before the parade hit the road to Cedar Beach, former Congressman and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) (pictured above) took the stage to address the crowd, not only behalf of himself and fellow New York conservatives, but also on behalf of President Trump.
Zeldin said that immediately as Biden’s term began, Biden took steps to “open our border, make life less affordable, attack parental rights, make it harder to access our own energy and resources, and attack democracy in a way that he has relinquished the ability to lecture anyone else on democracy.”
Zeldin also said that Trump intends not to “pander” to voters, but instead to “earn their support.”
“President Trump isn’t trying to pander votes from the black community, the Hispanic community, or the Asian community,” said Zeldin. “He is trying to earn the support of Democrats who have been long disenfranchised.”
Zeldin added that if Democrats “truly care about something that transcends blindness and loyalty,” their best strategy would be to vote for Trump.
“If you care about your kids’ future, our border, and economic prosperity, and everything else that motivates all of us as conservatives, then even Democrats, too, need to try something different,” said Zeldin.
Zeldin also mentioned the recent Emerson poll of New York, saying that the poll indicates that Trump is within “striking distance” of winning New York. He discussed how Trump is often told that he is “wasting his time” by campaigning in Democratic bastions, such as the Bronx or Detroit.
“We are busting down that blue wall of Michigan and Wisconsin, and we are going further,” said Zeldin. “No longer will Democrats go on offense winning races in red states like Georgia. It’s time for Donald Trump and for all of us to go on offense, winning in places like New York.”
Zeldin added that New Jersey, Virginia, New Mexico, and Minnesota are also targets of competition from the GOP ticket this year.
“But we can’t take anything for granted,” Zeldin cautioned. “If anyone is talking about a ‘red wave’ or a ‘red tsunami,’ it’s okay to be optimistic, but you had better be doing everything in your power, all day every day, to make it happen. People sometimes use the excuse of a ‘red wave’ to not work hard. Every time a poll comes out that says President Trump is ahead, work harder. Everytime a poll comes out that says Trump is behind, work harder.”
The Messenger caught up with Zeldin after his speech, inquiring about the ground game in New York and what parallels there might be from his near-successful 2022 campaign.
“I think President Trump has shown a strong interest and motivation t earning the votes of New Yorkers, not just Republicans, but Democrats too,” Zeldin told The Messenger, saying Trump’s May rally in the South Bronx demonstrates Trump’s desire to connect with New York voters. He also mentioned Trump’s personal visit to the bodega of Jose Alba, a Manhattan clerk who was charged in 2022 by stabbing an ex-convict in self defense. Alba made international headlines after he was charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), but the charges were eventually dropped.
“There are a lot of New Yorkers who right now are getting burned by Democratic policies. They want to try something different. I think that President Trump has a great opportunity to expand the map,” said Zeldin.
The Messenger caught up with some attendees from the rally to gather their thoughts on the state of play in New York.
“I always thought I was a Democrat, but I didn’t know what I was voting for,” Jessica Makin, 31, of the Smithtown portion of Commack told The Messenger. “I don’t think it’s right that there are other countries who are okay with possibly damaging us. We used to be feared as a country. We’re supposed to have the best system in the entire world, and even though it’s broken, we still have the best system.”
Makin, a corporate paralegal, said the June 8 car parade was her first of such an event.
“I have never experienced such love and admiration for each other,” John Flanagan – no relation to former Senator John Flanagan (R-East Northport) – said of the rally and the energy that comes with it. “It’s an atmosphere of love and respect; it’s nothing like that you see from the other side.”
Flanagan, a CSEA Vice President from Shirley, said that roughly “95%” of his neighborhood supports Trump.
“Those who voted for Biden have all swung,” said Barbara Keuning of Levittown. “These are lifelong Democrats who have had enough of the party.”
A Smithtown resident, who wished to be referred to only as Diane, called the recent trial against Trump “unfair,” and that “we’ve had enough of this leftist BS.”
A north shore Nassau County resident who wished to remain anonymous called herself a “Long Islander and a taxpayer.”
“I’ve been a Republican, but over the years I have voted for Democrats when I felt it was necessary,” said the supporter, stating that support for Trump is “absolutely imperative” this year. The supporter said that Trump will “bring America back together again.”
The rally landed in Cedar Beach later that evening. Smith said that this rally is the “first of many” from now until Election Day.
