On October 27, 2024, thousands of people filled New York City’s Madison Square Garden, “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” and thousands more filled the surrounding streets, to attend former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign rally.
For Trump, New York City – his birthplace, the foundation of his business empire and the setting for his days as a tabloid and reality TV star – holds both personal and political significance. While the former president has often criticized New York City’s crime rates and immigration policies, he softened his tone for his hometown crowd, claiming that “no city embodies the spirit” of the American people more.
There were also protestors outside of the rally. New York State has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1984, when President Ronald Reagan won every state except Minnesota and the District of Columbia.
Nonetheless, Trump still adamantly expresses that he wants to win his former home state. He solidified this through reminiscing about attending basketball and hockey games at the iconic MSG venue and his speech concluded with a rendition of Sinatra’s “New York, New York” by opera singer Christopher Macchio.
The rally featured a lineup of Trump’s most ardent and high-profile supporters and allies. This ranged from former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani to 2024 GOP primary contender Vivek Ramaswamy. Musk, who Trump plans to appoint to lead a new federal government efficiency commission, pledged to end government waste. He told the audience,“Your money is being wasted, and the department of government efficiency is going to fix that.” Musk’s critique of federal spending sparked some criticism given that several of his ventures, like Tesla and SpaceX, have relied on government contracts and subsidies. Other speakers included Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, TV personality Dr. Phil McGraw and former First Lady, Melania Trump, who rarely takes the stage.
During his speech, Trump presented his vision for the country should he secure another term and pushed his “America First” and “MAGA” agenda. He vowed to “rapidly defeat inflation” and “make America affordable again.” Trump declared that immigrants have “taken over Times Square” and that he would implement “the largest deportation program in American history to get the criminals out” in an attempt to address illegal immigration and restore public safety. Trump expressed, “This election is a choice between whether we’ll have four more years of gross incompetence and failure, or whether we’ll begin the greatest years in the history of our country.”
Supporters Outside Madison Square Garden Source: The New York Times
Trump was met with overwhelming support from 20,000 attendees of the sold-out rally and around 20,000 more that rallied outside. CBS News reported that Trump supporters began camping outside of the venue as early as Saturday, eager to secure their seats. Janet Bruno, a resident of Harrison, NY, did not camp outside but shared she arrived at 10 a.m. the day of the event, despite programming beginning at 5 p.m.. Others traveled significant distances – from Chicago or even all the way from Texas as supporter Tony D’Carlo did. One woman shared with CBS News “I just love him, and he’s the best. I want the economy to get better.” A man from Dutchess County, NY, stated, “We have an influx of migrants, illegal migrants. Our economy is – just go to the grocery store.” Ms. Yvonne Coste, a supporter from Queens, added, “He presents everything I desire to see happen in our country and in New York.” This strong show of support was countered by a crowd of protesters gathered on the steps of the United States Postal Service Building across the street.
Source: The New York Post
Fresh controversy sparked when guest comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made a disparaging comment about Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, describing it as a “floating island of garbage”. Hinchcliffe’s statement was met with backlash from political leaders and the public alike. Trump commented to ABC News that he did not know the comedian, and that “someone put him up there.” Trump’s vice presidential candidate, JD Vance, addressed the controversy at a rally in Wisconsin on Monday, arguing that “our country was built by frontiersmen who conquered the wilderness. We’re not going to restore the greatness of American civilization if we get offended at every little thing. Let’s have a sense of humor.” The Trump campaign later released a statement claiming that the joke did “not reflect the views” of the campaign. Nonetheless, Trump’s opponents are striving to portray this controversy as emblematic of Trump’s campaign approach: unapologetic, divisive and offensive. Trump went on to describe the rally as a “love fest” in a press conference from Mar-A-Lago on Tuesday.
With the election just days away, this rally was a crucial moment for Trump as he made his final pitch to voters in what is shaping up to be an incredibly close presidential race.
Source: The New York Times
