Donald Trump to Speak Near Cornell University

President Donald J. Trump has confirmed he will speak in person at a campaign rally in Syracuse on October 9th at 5:30 pm with Bruce Blakeman, the Republican gubernatorial candidate in NY. 

Before the RNC posted the registration link a few hours ago, Trump’s team had implied he would speak in upstate NY to rally his base behind Blakeman, who is facing incumbent Kathy Hochul. Blakeman has experience winning as a Republican in blue states, having been reelected by 12 points in a blue-leaning county during the 2025 election.

Regarding his chances of winning, Blakeman’s team released the following:

“All of the polls we have seen in the last two months have us virtually tied with Kathy Hochul. This poll is always off and continues to be off. We know and she knows this race is neck and neck. Kathy Hochul is desperate for people to believe that she is way ahead when she knows that her high taxes, soaring electric bills, and increased crime have made her the worst governor in America.” 

Whether this rings true or not remains to be seen. Trump’s approval rating is resting at around 37%, at least according to the New York Times. A rally can be helpful in getting Republicans fired up enough to actually turn out for the election, but they lack the force to change undecided voters’ minds — especially with the Iran War in the background.

AOC and Hasan Piker have recently visited Upstate New York, at Ithaca proper and Cornell University, respectively. Both have heavily criticized Trump’s policies and those who support him, and have rallied their supporters to vote in the upcoming Midterms on Tuesday, November 3rd.

The Cornell Republicans will turn out in force for the event, according to people familiar with the situation.

Cornell’s Fall Break is coming up this weekend, which may prevent some people from attending the rally, which remains about an hour’s drive from Cornell.

Donald Trump has recently described Cornell as a “fine school.”