Donald Trump culminated the most intense two weeks of presidential primary campaigning in New York history Monday night, driving an adoring First Niagara Center crowd into a frenzy as he promised to revamp trade agreements, repeal Obamacare and restore jobs to Buffalo and elsewhere in the state. 
 
 Trump seemed to speak in overdrive, lambasting opponents such as “Lyin’ Ted Cruz” and “Crooked Hillary Clinton” while calling for a rejection of the economic policies that he says has driven jobs from communities such as Buffalo. He continually cited the loss of manufacturing jobs in Buffalo and throughout New York State and promised he will “restore” the country to what he called past glory. 
 
 “We’re going to be so strong,” he said. “You’re going to be so proud.” 
 
 Trump added that “this is the last big speech I’m making in New York. We’re going to win at every element of what we’re doing.” 
 
 [Watch Trump's speech below] 
 
 On the eve of Tuesday’s Republican and Democratic primaries in New York, the biggest prize yet in the presidential nominating process of 2016, Trump neither broke new ground nor changed his message. But the New York billionaire businessman seemed to confirm the strength of his front-running status by hitting touchstone issues that resonated with a crowd that filled less than two-thirds of the arena that holds slightly more than 18,000. 
 
 Arena staff estimated the crowd at 11,000 to 12,000, and police put the figure at 11,425. 
 
 Trump drew boisterous cheers after reciting a litany of proposals and then returning to a key phrase: “And we’re going to build that wall,” referring to his oft-stated intention of build a wall at the Mexican border to stem the tide of illegal immigration. 
 
 “We’re going to have strong borders where people can come in,” he said, “but they’re going to have to come in legally.” 
 
 Trump told The Buffalo News in a phone interview Friday that he expected his campaign to soon retreat from some of the especially tough rhetoric he has used since announcing his candidacy in June. On Monday, however, he punctuated his short, staccato sentences with a finger in the air and much of his trademark combativeness. The idea of being more “presidential” seemed to be put on hold. 
 
 “I don’t want to get more presidential until I win,” he said. 
 
 Trump worked hard to play to the Buffalo crowd. He frequently reminded his audience of Buffalo’s diminished job base and its economic challenges. And as he has throughout his campaign, he blamed much of the malaise on “stupid trade deals” such as the North American Free Trade Agreement. 
 
 “Fewer cities in America have taken a harder hit,” he said, citing labor statistics showing the drastic decline of manufacturing in New York. 
 
 “It’s not your fault; it’s the politicians representing all of us,” he said. 
 
 Several times, he faulted trade deals crafted by presidents, including Bill Clinton. China enjoys all the advantages of its trade agreements with the United States, he said, and that must be corrected. 
 
 “If you want to do business in China, it’s virtually impossible to get your product in,” he said. “This is not free trade. This is stupid, stupid stupid trade.” 
 
 Bill Clinton, he reminded his audience, is married to Hillary Clinton, and Trump pointed to her sudden opposition to some new trade pacts. “NAFTA, that is a total disaster,” he said. “And Trans-Pacific Partnership? It’s going to make NAFTA look like peanuts.” 
 
 Trump blamed his GOP opponents – Texas Sen. Cruz and Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich – for failing to recognize the effects of such agreements. 
 
 “No New Yorker can vote for Kasich when he was in favor of NAFTA,” Trump said, referring to the former congressman’s votes, “when it has been a disaster for your state and this city.” 
 
 As he has for the last several days, Trump attacked Cruz for his earlier criticism of “New York values” as the embodiment of liberal politics. Trump pointed to the New York police and firefighters, as well as the dedication of working-class residents of the state. 
 
 “By the way, Ted Cruz – Lyin’ Ted Cruz, Lyin’ Ted – is one of the great liars of all time,” he said. 
 
 Trump again pointed to the response of New Yorkers after the 9/11 terrorist attacks as “very close to my heart.” 
 
 “I saw the greatest people I ever saw in action. I saw the bravest people I ever saw,” he said. “That’s what New York values are all about.” 
 
 Trump then seemed to prompt about as many cheers and noise as an overtime goal in the arena that is home to the Buffalo Sabres as he finished his approximately hourlong speech. 
 
 “So here’s the story: You’re going to leave here and say, ‘That was a great evening.’ Tomorrow, you are going to vote. You’re going to make sure all your friends vote,” he said 
 
 “And you’re going to remember … this evening, and you’re going to remember to vote,” he added. “You’re going to look back in four years, and 12 years and 25 years and say, ‘That’s the greatest single vote I’ve ever cast.’ ” 
 
 Trump walked to the podium to tremendous applause at 7:30 p.m., after an introduction by Rex Ryan, head coach of the Buffalo Bills. “He’ll say what’s on his mind,” Ryan said of Trump. 
 
 Trump seemed energized by the frenzied crowd that sounded as if the arena were filled. As he has in his travels across New York in the last two weeks, Buffalo developer Carl P. Paladino also spoke before Trump’s speech. The 2010 Republican nominee for governor delivered an impassioned exhortation for Trump and minced no words in denouncing hundreds of reporters gathered in the arena – and getting the big crowd to cheer him on. 
 
 “What we’ve watched in Washington for the past seven years is disgusting, and we’re not going to take it anymore,” Paladino said. “Are we mad? Turn around and tell that to the press. We allow them to think they can continue to control our thinkingand our acting – and we’re done with them.” 
 
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 Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, also figured as one of Trump’s main cheerleaders, firing up a crowd by resurrecting his own 2007 successful campaign slogan for Erie County executive: “We need a chief executive, not a chief politician.” 
 
 Collins latched onto Trump’s opposition to foreign trade pacts, saying that “countries like China and Mexico continue to steal our jobs.” 
 
 “Enough is enough,” Collins boomed. “It’s time to take back our country – the United States of America.” 
 
 Recognizing that scuffles and fisticuffs have broken out at previous Trump rallies across the country, a public address announcer asked the crowd just before Trump took the stage to refrain from any confrontations with protesters. Police ended up ejecting about 20 people who disrupted Trump during his speech. That prompted him to utter what has become a trademark phrase when protesters interrupt: “Get ’em outta here.” 
 
 Police later said that six people were arrested, all outside the area. 
 
 Erie County Republican Chairman Nicholas A. Langworthy acted as master of ceremonies in his role as one of the major New York State GOP leaders backing Trump. 
 
 A festive atmosphere dominated the arena for more than three hours before the event, with crowds lustily applauding a previous Barbara Walters video interview of the candidate that appeared on the overhead scoreboard. 
 
 Huge cheers arose whenever Trump mentioned wiping out the Islamic State or building a wall on the Mexican border. 
 
 All of this occurred as Trump continues to lead every New York poll by a wide margin. The latest, the Marist poll released Saturday, showed Trump with 54 percent, Kasich with 25 percent and Cruz with 16 percent. 
 
 The Buffalo rally occurred amid a shakeup in the Trump campaign. He told top staff members Saturday that he wants his recent campaign hires – Paul Manafot and Rick Wiley – to take charge in coming primary states, Washington news website Politico reported. The moves shrink the role of Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. 
 
 Trump also gave his new campaign team $20 million for primaries in May and June, more than any previous level of spending in his campaign, Politico said. 
 
 News Washington Bureau Chief Jerry Zremski contributed to this report. email: rmccarthy@buffnews.com ||||| Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump Donald TrumpFive takeaways from New Hampshire Senate debate Trump losing cash race in final weeks Vulnerable GOP senator questions opponent's American heritage MORE on Monday mistakenly referred to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as “7-11.” 
 
 “I was down there, and I watched our police and our firemen, down on 7-11, down at the World Trade Center, right after it came down, and I saw the greatest people I’ve ever seen in action," he said during a rally Monday. 
 
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 "I saw the bravest people I’ve ever seen, including the construction workers, including every person down there,” he continued. 
 
 “That’s what New York values are about.” 
 
 Trump was campaigning in Buffalo ahead of the Empire State’s primary on Tuesday. ||||| Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has a selfie taken with supporters after speaking at a rally in Irvine, Calif., on Monday, April 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) (Associated Press) 
 
 Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has a selfie taken with supporters after speaking at a rally in Irvine, Calif., on Monday, April 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on campaign 2016 (all times Eastern Daylight Time): 
 
 10:30 p.m. 
 
 Republican Ted Cruz is calling out chief rival Donald Trump for "whining." 
 
 The Texas senator is seizing on Trump's complaints that the GOP nomination is "rigged." Cruz went after the GOP front-runner while campaigning in San Diego Monday evening. 
 
 Cruz says, "As we know in the state of California, whine is something best served with cheese." 
 
 Addressing Trump directly, Cruz says: "Donald, it ain't stealing when the voters vote against you. It is the voters reclaiming this country and reclaiming sanity." 
 
 Cruz campaigned in California as most of other candidates in both parties focused on New York ahead of that state's April 19 primary. 
 
 California doesn't hold its presidential primaries until June 7, but the state offers more delegates than any other. 
 
 __ 
 
 8:30 p.m. 
 
 Donald Trump's rally in Albany, New York, was interrupted several times by protesters. 
 
 The Republican front-runner spoke to approximately 10,000 people at a downtown arena Monday night but had to stop five times due to demonstrators. 
 
 Trump mocked the interrupters, telling one of them to "go home to mom." He said another "stands there smiling because he knows nobody's gonna touch him. He's protected." 
 
 Trump implored his security team and supporters to not harm the protesters, though one of the demonstrators appeared to get in a brief shoving match with a Trump backer as he was being removed. 
 
 Trump has kicked off his blitz through his native New York with a series of large, boisterous rallies. The state's primary is being held April 19. 
 
 __ 
 
 8:20 p.m. 
 
 Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is rallying more than 11,000 supporters in Buffalo, urging them to help create a large turnout in next week's New York presidential primary. 
 
 Sanders drew a crowd of more than 8,000 people inside the University of Buffalo's Alumni Arena and another 3,000 outside. He says voters in New York "have the possibility of making American history" in his bid against Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. 
 
 Sanders says a large voter turnout will help him win the state, but warns that if there is a low turnout, "we lose." 
 
 Sanders trails Clinton among pledged delegates and is hoping a victory in New York will propel his campaign forward in contests later this month and into the spring. 
 
 __ 
 
 7:35 p.m. 
 
 Donald Trump is angrily denouncing what he calls a "rigged system" that is allowing his Republican rivals to siphon off some of the delegates he believes should be rightfully his. 
 
 Trump is telling an audience in Albany, New York, that he is "millions of votes ahead" of Ted Cruz but is upset that the Texas senator swept all 34 of Colorado's delegates without a traditional primary vote. 
 
 The Cruz team outmaneuvered the Trump campaign at a series of recent state meetings to select national convention delegates, narrowing the path for Trump to clinch the nomination before the party convention this summer. 
 
 Trump is also complaining about Louisiana, where he won the primary but got fewer delegates than Cruz, "who got his ass kicked." 
 
 __ 
 
 7:20 p.m. 
 
 Donald Trump is beginning his rally in Albany, New York, with a stinging attack of Ted Cruz's criticism of "New York values." 
 
 Trump says Cruz "does not like the people of New York" and had "scorn on his face" when he derided the state's liberal politics during a Republican debate earlier this year. 
 
 Trump says the state's actual values were on display when it bounced back after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. 
 
 Officials at Albany's Times Union Center say approximately 10,000 people are in the arena to listen to Trump Monday night. New York's primary is April 19 and the Trump campaign is aiming to win most of his native state's 95 delegates. 
 
 __ 
 
 6:42 p.m. 
 
 Bernie Sanders is dropping by a Buffalo union hall to address workers who plan to strike against Verizon on Wednesday morning. 
 
 The Democratic presidential candidate tells members of the Communications Workers of America Local 1122 that they are showing "enormous courage" by demonstrating for job security and better pensions. 
 
 Sanders says the union members are standing up to "the outrageous greed of Verizon and corporate America." The CWA endorsed Sanders in December. 
 
 He's holding a Buffalo rally on Monday night ahead of next week's New York primary. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:05 p.m. 
 
 Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton is reiterating her promise to release transcripts of her paid speeches to Wall Street banks but only when other candidates agree to do the same. 
 
 Speaking to the New York Daily News editorial board on Saturday, Clinton said that she "had reason to believe" that Donald Trump had given speeches for "rather considerable amounts." 
 
 Before the interview concluded, Clinton also took pains to criticize a plan that would cut federal counterterrorism funding for New York City. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:05 p.m. 
 
 Hillary Clinton is acknowledging some of the consequences of the 1994 crime bill during a newspaper editorial board interview, saying that the legislation led to "over criminalization" of non-violent offenders. 
 
 Speaking to the New York Daily News editorial board on Saturday, Clinton praised parts of the bill, which was a key achievement of her husband's administration. Clinton noted that the bill came at a time of high crime rates and included an assault weapons ban, put more police on the street and sought to prevent violence against women. 
 
 But she also agreed with critics who say the bill contributed to high levels of incarceration for non-violent crimes, like drug offenses. 
 
 Clinton acknowledged there was "a real problem," but added that there were "some positive changes that came out." 
 
 She urged for constant evaluation. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:35 p.m. 
 
 Bernie Sanders is pointing to the Justice Department's roughly $5 billion settlement with Goldman Sachs over the sale of mortgage-backed securities, saying it's a system that must be changed. 
 
 During a rally in Albany, New York, the Democratic presidential candidate read part of an Associated Press story about the settlement resolving state and federal probes into the sale of shoddy mortgages in the lead up to the 2008 financial crisis. 
 
 Sanders said instead of the term "shoddy," he said, "the real word is illegal." He said "this is the system that we are living in and this is the system that we have to change." 
 
 The Vermont senator is competing against Hillary Clinton in next week's New York presidential primary. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2:35 p.m. 
 
 Hillary Clinton is hitting rival Bernie Sanders on his gun control record, saying he's failed to take a strong stand against stopping the spread of firearms. 
 
 Sanders has cited his background as a senator from Vermont as the reason for some of his votes against gun control measures, saying that rural states have a different relationship to guns. 
 
 Most of the guns used in killings in New York, she tells an audience in Long Island, come from out of state. The highest per capita number of guns used in New York crime comes from Vermont, she said, prompting an audible gasp from the crowd. 
 
 Clinton said: "This not, oh I live in a rural state we don't have any of those problems. You know what, it's easy to cross borders." 
 
 She added that people who are "dangerously mentally ill, they cross borders too and sometimes they do it to get the guns they use." 
 
 ___ 
 
 2:15 p.m. 
 
 Ted Cruz is spending his day campaigning in southern California, a state that holds presidential primaries for both parties on June 7, the last day of primary voting. 
 
 The Texas senator's appearance Monday was a reminder that regardless of what happens in New York's April 19 elections, the presidential nomination on the Republican side — if not for both parties — won't be decided for another two months. 
 
 Cruz was scheduled to appear at a rally in Orange County, a Republican stronghold south of Los Angeles, before an evening appearance in San Diego. 
 
 The Texas senator has cast himself as more electable than Republican rival Donald Trump, in part because of organizational advantages in the complicated and tedious process of collecting delegates heading into the summer national convention. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:40 p.m. 
 
 Vice President Joe Biden says Bernie Sanders wasn't being sexist when he said Hillary Clinton wasn't qualified to be president. 
 
 Biden defended both Sanders and Clinton in an interview with the website Mic. He says they're both "totally qualified." 
 
 Sanders last week questioned Clinton's qualifications in light of donations a super PAC supporting her has received. Biden says that kind of attack is simply what campaigns do. He said Sanders never said Clinton wasn't qualified because she's a woman. 
 
 Biden also said that Clinton isn't being held to a higher standard because of her gender. He says the U.S. is ready for a female president and that he wants to see one. 
 
 But Biden affirmed that he and President Barack Obama won't endorse either candidate in the Democratic primary. He says the party should decide its candidate. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:02 p.m. 
 
 Hillary Clinton is casting rival Bernie Sanders as unprepared for the White House, saying the Democratic primary candidate "has had trouble answering questions." 
 
 Clinton says she's looking forward to a debate in Brooklyn later this week, saying Sanders has struggled to detail his foreign policy positions and plans to regulate Wall Street. 
 
 She adds: "Sen. Sanders couldn't even answer questions about whatever his plan is." 
 
 Clinton also says the more aggressive tone taken by her opponent and his supporters reflects "a growing level of anxiety" in his campaign. 
 
 The former New York senator spoke to reporters at an Indian restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens. She is in the midst of a campaign swing through New York City and the Long Island suburbs ahead of the April 19 primary. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:40 p.m. 
 
 Hillary Clinton says Republican front-runner Donald Trump doesn't respect the diversity of his home city. 
 
 Clinton is mingling with southeast Asian community officials at an Indian buffet restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens, the home borough of the GOP front-runner. 
 
 The Democratic presidential candidate notes that Trump is from the area, "yet he seems not to respect diversity." She promises to continue speaking out against him saying "his words are hurting our country" 
 
 Clinton, who was joined by Rep. Joe Crowley, is in the midst of a campaign swing through the city and Long Island suburbs ahead of the April 19 primary. Her campaign is counting on a strong showing from minority voters to beat rival Bernie Sanders. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:05 a.m. 
 
 A swing through upstate New York is providing Bernie Sanders with a fresh opportunity to contrast himself with Hillary Clinton on fracking — an oil and gas drilling method that's been banned in the state. 
 
 In a lengthy riff at a rally in Binghamton, New York, Monday, Sanders hit Clinton for promoting fracking as secretary of state and only offering conditional opposition to the practice. 
 
 Sanders said eliminating the practice is critical in fighting climate change, one of his top issues. He said doing so requires "bold leadership." He also said that Clinton has not "led the opposition" against fossil fuels but rather came on board at the end. 
 
 Early in the event, Sanders' crowd booed loudly when he said Clinton's name. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:40 a.m. 
 
 Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is claiming to be thrifty in an email asking supporters to help him pay off more than $1 million in presidential campaign debt. 
 
 Walker said in the fundraising plea sent Sunday that "If there is one thing the American people learned about me during our presidential campaign, it is that I am thrifty." 
 
 Walker spent more than $90,000 a day on his 70-day run for president. 
 
 Walker said in the email he's thrifty because he likes to use coupons and shop sales racks. 
 
 The email says anyone who donates $45 will receive a Walker presidential campaign T-shirt. But due to a lack of resources, size and color requests won't be honored. 
 
 Walker says the shirts can be framed or made into a pillow or bag. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:00 a.m. 
 
 Republican front-runner Donald Trump says his children will not be able to vote for him in the upcoming New York presidential primary because they didn't register in time. 
 
 In an interview on Fox News Monday, Trump said his children, Eric and Ivanka, "feel very, very guilty" not to have registered, saying that they were "unaware of the rules." 
 
 Trump didn't provide further details on their failure to register, saying, simple, "it's fine." 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:30 a.m. 
 
 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is blasting the way the country chooses presidential party nominees as "corrupt" and "crooked." 
 
 His harsh criticism comes as Trump grapples with the potential of a brokered convention that he risks losing. 
 
 Speaking to thousands packed in a frigid airport hangar in western New York on Sunday, Trump ripped the byzantine fight over delegates at the heart of his party's nominating process. He argued anew that the person who wins the most votes in the primary process should automatically be the GOP nominee. 
 
 The billionaire businessman, who has been leading throughout the GOP race, charged that "what they're trying to do is subvert the movement with crooked shenanigans." 
 
 He's coming to terms with the political reality of chasing delegates ahead of the nominating convention.
– In a deeply unfortunate gaffe for Donald Trump on the eve of New York's GOP primary, he managed to get the date of 9/11 wrong. "I was down there and I watched our police and our firemen, down on 7-11, down at the World Trade Center, right after it came down, and I saw the greatest people I've ever seen in action," he told a Monday night rally in Buffalo, NY, per the Hill. "I saw the bravest people I've ever seen, including the construction workers, including every person down there." Trump—who went on to slam "Lyin' Ted Cruz," "Crooked Hillary Clinton," and "stupid trade deals" like NAFTA—still received plenty of cheers from what the Buffalo News calls an "adoring" and wildly enthusiastic crowd at the First Niagara Center, where he was introduced by Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan. According to a Marist poll released on Saturday, Trump has a 29-point lead in New York, with 54% support to 25% for John Kasich. Ted Cruz is third with 16%. (Cruz was almost completely ignored when he spoke at the New York State Republican gala last week.)