Despite his ongoing criminal trial in the state, former President Donald Trump believes that he has a “good chance” of winning the general election in New York. Setting aside the state’s history of being a Democrat stronghold, Trump, on Thursday, teased a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden.

“We’re going to run very hard in New York. We have a good chance of winning New York, in my opinion,” he said.

“We’re going to give it a shot. We’re very close in New York, I understand. We’re leading in the country by a lot. As you saw yesterday, we’re up by a lot in every swing state, so I think we’re going to do very well,” he added.

Trump went on to blast his political rival, President Joe Biden, as “the worst president in history.”

“Normally, a Democrat would win New York. Biden is the worst president in history and we have some very bad people here, but we have the greatest people and they’re right behind me,” he stated.

Expressing a wish to hold a rally at Madison Square Garden honoring police, firemen, and teachers, Trump said, “We’ll be honoring the people that make New York work.”

Winning in New York would be a challenge for the former president, as the state has consistently been handed down to Democrats for decades. The last time a Republican presidential victory was recorded in the state was in 1984 when former President Ronald Reagan won a sweep-through victory across the country. Minnesota was the only place where his opponent managed to beat him.

Trump lost New York to Biden in 2020 by over 20 percentage points.

While recent polls from Siena show Trump holding a lead over Biden in some states, including six of the seven battleground states, he trails behind the incumbent president in New York by double digits. However, the polls might still hold hope for the GOP presumptive nominee, as he has the support of 81% of Republicans. Biden, on the other hand, has the support of 72% of Democrats. Among independents, Trump has 46% support while the president trails behind with 32%.