Trump to stop in upstate New York in first visit since election

President Trump will make a trip to upstate New York on Monday for a stop at a military base and an appearance at a fundraiser for an embattled Republican congresswoman up for reelection.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) announced Tuesday that Trump accepted an invitation to visit Fort Drum, where he will sign the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Trump will head to New York after spending this week at his golf course in Bedminster, N.J.

This year’s $717 billion bill is named after Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who has been at home in Arizona for the last several months undergoing cancer treatment. McCain has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s rhetoric and some of his policies.

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Trump has a history of mocking McCain. He frequently chides him for voting against a “skinny” repeal of the Affordable Care Act last year, helping to doom the effort in the Senate.

Carl Paladino, who co-chaired Trump’s New York campaign, confirmed to The Hill that the president will also travel Monday to the Utica area for a fundraiser for Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.). 

The first-term representative is facing a difficult reelection campaign. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election forecaster, rates Tenney’s race as a “toss-up.” 

Tenney has echoed much of Trump’s rhetoric, while insisting she is not tied to the president. Her district voted for Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton by a margin of 15 points in the 2016 election.

Trump has become more active in recent weeks in campaigning for congressional Republicans. He has held rallies and attended fundraisers in recent weeks in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri and North Dakota, among other places.

Monday’s visit will mark Trump’s first trip to upstate New York since he won the 2016 election. The president is more popular in pockets of upstate, while he is deeply unpopular in urban centers and in New York City.

He spent a few days in New York City last August, where he faced widespread protests.