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Meet the New York City Councilman Who Endorses Donald Trump

By Nicholas Rizzi | March 3, 2016 11:01am
 Councilman Joe Borelli and several other Staten Island GOP leaders announced their support for Donald Drumpf in his bid for president.
Councilman Joe Borelli and several other Staten Island GOP leaders announced their support for Donald Drumpf in his bid for president.
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Facebook/Joe Borelli

STATEN ISLAND — Donald Trump is getting some Staten Island love.

City Councilman Joe Borelli and several other Staten Island Republicans threw their support behind the GOP front-runner for the presidency.

The Republican councilman became the first elected city official to publicly support Trump, despite many national party officials rallying to stop the billionaire candidate.

"This election has made at least one thing clear — people are sick of the Washington beltway cronyism that has stifled repeated attempts to change the status quo, either from the right or left," Borelli wrote on Facebook Wednesday.

"In my view, what our country needs is a transformation and, in my view, Donald Trump is the candidate best suited to offer the country transformational change.

"While I would happily support any of the Republican candidates if they were to be the nominee, Mr. Trump not only offers our party the best chance to win, but offers America the best opportunity to get back on the right track."

Borelli posted a picture of him shaking hands with Trump on Facebook and wrote that he finds his "style, his candor and his ability to connect with people very refreshing."

"While I certainly don’t agree with all of his proposals, I’m yet to encounter a candidate with whom I agree 100% of the time," Borelli wrote.

"I’m confident that when Mr. Trump is elected, he’ll be able to work with elected officials of all political persuasions, while not compromising the core values, which make him so appealing."

National GOP leaders are working to stop Trump from clinching the party's presidential nomination, but the billionaire candidate still had a strong showing on Super Tuesday, winning seven of the 12 states that voted, the AP reported.

Before Super Tuesday, Staten Island Republican party leader Antoniello told the New York Post he supported Trump — becoming the first GOP leader in the city to do so — and expected that more elected officials would join him.

"Trump is the most dynamic and different candidate. He’s giving a real voice to people who feel disenfranchised," Antoniello told the paper. "He’s going to open the process and give people more say in what’s going on."

Ron Castorina Jr., who's running unopposed to take over Borelli's former Assembly seat, also announced his support of Trump to the Staten Island Advance and former Councilman Vincent Ignizio wrote last week that he thinks Trump has the country's "best interest at heart."

"He is a transformative candidate that will forever alter this process and give more power back to the voters regardless of if he wins or not," Ignizio wrote on Facebook.

"His nonconventional candidacy and the campaign has changed the game. He has tapped into the anger some Americans feel about losing the rightfully placed American exceptionalism — and has given it a voice."

The presidential primary in New York is scheduled for April 19, with 95 Republican delegates up for grabs, the New York Times reported.