President Trump's visit to Long Island on Friday could bring traffic, protests – ABC7 New York

NASSAU COUNTY, Long Island (WABC) — President Donald Trump will be on Long Island Friday to tour law enforcement facilities in Nassau County — and his visit is expected to draw protesters and snarl traffic around the county.
The president will appear alongside Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who has he endorsed in the New York governor's race.
"The Garden City, Mineola, Uniondale area will have street closures, we will not details those street closures for security reasons because that would telegraph the direction that the president is coming in," Blakeman said.
Traffic troubles are likely to start around 1 p.m.
President Trump will visit the Nassau County Police Academy in Garden City and Blakeman is touting it as a compliment.
"The President has indicated an interest in coming to honor the people of law enforcement here in Nassau County," Blakeman said. "Nassau County backs the blue."
Right now, Gov. Kathy Hochul holds a 10-point lead over Blakeman, according to a Siena University poll released this week.
The White House confirmed that the topic for discussion on Friday will be public safety. The FBI's crime report from last year shows what they call the largest year-to-year decrease ever in violent crime.
But Hochul's campaign maintains otherwise about Nassau County, citing data reported to the state, particularly murder, at the highest rate since 2010.
Her campaign spokesman said, "Governor Hochul has invested billions in public safety to protect New Yorkers – 'MAGA all the way' Bruce Blakeman is bringing Donald Trump to tour the county where he let violent crime spike to decade highs."
Nassau County's Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder spoke out Thursday ahead of the visit.
"2024, we lowered major crime by 9.5%. 2025, we lowered crime again by 10.5%, major crime, today, this morning's numbers that I gave to the county executive, were down another 4% in major crime, in every single category across the board," Ryder said.
But the Hochul campaign also came out against Blakeman regarding the county's close ties to ICE, and their abuse of power.
"We did it without raiding one church, one school one business, one day care center and it was very orderly," Blakeman said.
A designated protest zone is established at Stewart Avenue and Endo Boulevard about half a mile from the police academy where Trump will be along with his new attorney general, Todd Blanche, and FBI director Kash Patel.
The whole area will be in a potential lockdown throughout Friday afternoon.
"If you can avoid the area, avoid the area," Ryder said.
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