Donald Trump visited the Harlem scene of a dramatic 2022 self-defense stabbing following the second day of his hush-money trial on Tuesday.
He’d been expected to meet with Jose Alba, the bodega worker cleared in the deadly incident in the bodega where he was working about two years ago.
While Alba was a no-show, a huge crowd of supporters and opponents of the Republican presidential nominee flocked to the blocks surrounding the shop as Trump arrived to deliver a tough-on-crime message.
“These people have to be treated fairly, the bodega association, the bodegas, because every week they are being robbed,” he said outside the Blue Moon bodega. “It’s crazy.”
Trump, already in Manhattan for the criminal trial related to his alleged hush money payments, had been expected to meet Alba, 64, who was briefly jailed after clashing with a customer over a bag of chips.
That added Trump to the list of Alba supporters, including Mayor Adams, who came to the bodega worker’s defense after the altercation that ended in the death of Austin Simon, 35, who confronted Alba behind the counter on July 1, 2022.
Among Tuesday’s crowd, some chanted “dump Trump” while the former president addressed nearby prospective voters.
He also repeated his attacks against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
“The police in New York are great, [but] they have to be able to do their job,” said Trump. “It’s Alvin Bragg’s fault. Alvin Bragg does nothing. He goes after guys like Trump, who did nothing wrong.
“They know there are hundreds of murderers all over the city,” he added. “They know who they are, and they don’t pick them up. They go after Trump.”
Trump promised to “make a heavy play for New York” if elected — a long shot in the heavily blue state.
“We’re gonna work with the mayor, we’re gonna work with the governor, Democrats,” said Trump. “We have to straighten out New York. If it goes any further out, it’ll never come back.”
In response, the DA’s office cited data showing that crime is down in Manhattan in almost every major category.
“This matter was resolved nearly two years ago, and the charges were dismissed after a thorough investigation. D.A. Bragg’s top priority remains combating violent crime and the office has worked hand in hand with the NYPD to drive down overall crime in Manhattan, including double digit decreases in homicides and shootings since he took office,” a Bragg spokesperson said.
Simon was killed when he confronted Alba over a bag of chips that Simon’s girlfriend had tried to buy for her daughter.
In the 2022 incident, the girlfriend said Alba snatched the snack from her 10-year-old daughter’s hand, according to a criminal complaint.
The caught-on-camera clash showed the avenging Simon pushing Alba to a chair behind the counter and towering over him while screaming in his face before pushing him and grabbing his neck.
Alba grabbed a knife and plunged the blade into Simon’s neck at least five times.
The worker was charged with second-degree murder and spent time at Rikers Island before Bragg dropped the case.
With Molly Crane-Newman
