Trump calls Hochul incompetent, says she released 7,000 criminals in New York
Trump attacks New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Truth Social, claiming she released 7,000 hard core criminals onto the streets and demanding she be voted out of office.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump attacked New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Truth Social, claiming she released 7,000 hard core criminals onto the streets and calling for her removal from office.
The post targeted Hochul, a Democrat and the 57th and first female governor of New York, according to nga. Trump framed the accusation as a matter of public safety, tying it to a demand that voters reject her at the ballot box.
Here is the full post on truthsocial: “Governor Kathy Hochul just released 7000 hard core criminals onto the streets on New York. What is wrong with her? She is grossly incompetent and must be voted out of office! President DJT” on August 30, 2026 at 8:18 PM ET.
This is Trump’s 23rd message released today, and the last post was 21 minutes ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 21 of his 657 posts over the last 30 days classified as Crime posts.
Kathy Hochul serves as the 57th and first female governor of New York State, according to nga. She has held the office since being sworn in during 2021, and her current term runs from January 1, 2023 to the present, according to nga. A Democrat born in New York in 1958, she is married to William J. Hochul Jr., according to nga.
President Donald J. Trump posed at Washington D.C.
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Hochul began her career in public service on her local Town Board before serving as Erie County Clerk and then as a member of Congress for New York’s 26th Congressional District, according to arc.gov. She represented that district from 2011 to 2013 and was elected lieutenant governor of New York in 2015, according to law.buffalo.edu. She served as lieutenant governor from 2015 to 2021, helping lead the state’s economic development and job creation efforts and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to arc.gov. A lifelong New Yorker, she has served at the town, county, state and federal levels of government, according to law.buffalo.edu.
As lieutenant governor, Hochul chaired the statewide Regional Economic Development Councils and served as co-chair of the state’s Heroin and Opioid Task Force, according to arc.gov. She championed the “Enough is Enough” law to prevent sexual assault on college campuses and spearheaded the state’s Paid Family Leave program, according to arc.gov. She also worked to eliminate the gender wage gap and expand access to affordable child care, according to arc.gov. Since taking office as governor, she has led the charge in Albany to protect reproductive health care and strengthen gun safety laws, according to nga.
Hochul faces reelection this year, with a New York governor’s race poll showing her lead over challenger Bruce Blakeman narrowing as voters focus on the November ballot, according to cbsnews. Blakeman, a Republican, has deployed a campaign strategy that echoes the national GOP playbook, according to cbsnews. Trump’s post arrives amid that contest, framing his criticism of Hochul around crime and public safety as the campaign intensifies.
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