Trump rally in Uniondale, Long Island draws big crowds, tight security

NASSAU COUNTY, Long Island (WABC) — Former President Donald Trump is addressing a packed crowd inside Nassau Coliseum for a campaign rally Wednesday night.

The big rally comes just days after the second apparent attempt on the former president’s life in Florida over the weekend.

Ahead of the rally in Uniondale, Long Island, NewsCopter 7 showed big crowds gathering in the afternoon amid tight security.

The parking lot underwent a security sweep overnight. Police kicked out several vendors and people who tried to camp out.

Law enforcement officials knocked down social media posts falsely reporting that explosives had been found in a car near the planned rally on Wednesday morning.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said police questioned and detained a person who “may have been training a bomb detection dog,” near the site of the rally and “falsely reported explosives being found.”

Lt. Scott Skrynecki, a spokesperson for the county police, said in follow-up messages that the person, who police have not yet identified, was a civilian and not a member of a law enforcement agency.

He also said the person was not working at or affiliated with the event, which was expected to draw thousands of Trump supporters to the arena that was formerly the home of the NHL’s New York Islanders.

More than 60,000 tickets were requested for the rally. The facility only seats 16,000, the rest will watch on large screens outside, described as a tailgate-type experience.

People lined up well ahead of the 8 a.m. parking lot opening time.

The rally is Trump’s first on Long Island, a suburban area just east of New York City, since 2017.

Several protests were scheduled for a designated “Free Speech Zone” on the sidewalk along Hempstead Turnpike, just west of the main entrance.

Hempstead Turnpike remained open but traffic was heavy.

Anyone without business in the area was asked to stay away starting Wednesday afternoon.

The following items were not allowed to be brought to the rally:

Drones, aerosols, alcohol, appliances, backpacks or roller bags, no bag larger than 12 x 14 x 5 and it must be clear, balloons, balls, poles, sticks, banners, signs, placards, chairs, coolers, e-cigarettes, firearms, glass, thermal containers, airhorns, whistles and bullhorns.

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