NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump He hosted a rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday that included vulgar and racist slurs, turning what he called the event where he would deliver his campaign’s closing message into an example of what bothers his critics.

With just a week until Election Day, speakers labeled Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” and called Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris “evil” and said the woman running to become the first female and Black female president is launching her career. as a prostitute.

“I don’t know if you know this, but there’s literally an island of garbage floating in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” said stand-up comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, whose set also included obscene and racist comments about Latinos, Jews and Blacks; There are only nine days left until the elections.

His joke was immediately criticized by the campaign of Harris, who is running against Trump. Winning Puerto Rican communities in Pennsylvania and other swing states. Puerto Rican music superstar Bad Bunny He supported Harris shortly after Hinchcliffe’s appearance.

The normally combative Trump campaign took the rare step of distancing itself from Hinchcliffe. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a statement.

However, other speakers also made provocative comments. Trump’s childhood friend, David Rem, referred to Harris as the “Antichrist” and “the devil.” Businessman Grant Cardone told the crowd that Harris “and her pimp handlers will destroy our country.”

The momentous event reflected the former president’s tone in his third White House campaign. Trump frequently attacks Harris, although he refrained from doing so on Sunday. offensive and personal terms He himself has questioned her mental stability and intelligence in recent weeks, calling her “lazy,” a racist trope long used against Black people.

The event featured former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, TV psychologist Dr. It was a surreal spectacle that featured politicians including Phil McGraw, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Reps. Byron Donalds and Elise Stefanik, and an artist painting. Trump embracing the Empire State Building.

And all of this was before Trump took the stage more than two hours late.

After being introduced in a rare public appearance by his wife, Melania Trump, the former president began by asking the same questions he has asked at the beginning of recent rallies: “Are you doing better now than you were four years ago?” The crowd responded with a resounding “No!” He responded with.

“This election is a choice between whether we live with four more years of gross incompetence and failure, or whether we begin the greatest years in our country’s history,” he said.

Trump announces new tax credit for caregivers

Trump added a new proposal on Sunday list of tax deductions Aimed at winning the support of older adults and blue-collar workers, the legislation already includes commitments to end taxes on Social Security benefits, tips and overtime pay: A tax credit for family caregivers.

This comes after Harris spoke of the “sandwich generation” of adults who care for aging parents while also raising their children. Harris has proposed federal funding to cover home care costs for older Americans.

Trump otherwise repeated familiar lines on foreign policy and immigration, called for the death penalty for any immigrant who kills a US citizen, and declared “The immigrant invasion of our country will end” on the day he takes office.

When Trump’s remarks came an hour later, some of the crowd began to leave.

Speaking earlier and introducing Melania Trump, tech mogul Elon Musk was a key part of Trump’s campaign closing message. The former president called Musk “a genius” and “special.”

Musk nodded to Trump’s latest plan to let him lead a government efficiency commission that would oversee the entire federal government. Many of Musk’s businesses, including Tesla and SpaceX, have major government contracts or rely on US subsidies, and Musk has faced criticism following reports that: spoke privately With Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Your money is going down the drain, and the government department of efficiency is going to fix it,” Musk said before joining Melania Trump backstage.

Many of the speakers took to the stage at the Republican National Convention on Sunday. This time, the same speakers shouted and railed against the Democrats even more.

Returning to the venue where he performed as a professional wrestler years ago, Hogan appeared to reprise his character; She appeared wearing a giant red, orange and yellow boa and violently waved a large American flag while posing and dancing. During his speech, he spat on stage, flexed his muscles repeatedly and told the audience: “The only person who can fix this country today is Trump.”

Trump’s allies go after Democrats holding pro-Nazi rally

Some Democrats, calling trump a fascist compared Sunday’s event to an event Pro-Nazi rally in the Garden Several speakers Sunday criticized Democrat Hillary Clinton, who was defeated by Trump eight years ago, for recently saying Trump would “reenact” the 1939 incident. One of them, radio host Sid Rosenberg, cursed at Clinton.

“Hey guys, now they’re trying to call us Nazis and fascists,” said Alina Habba, one of Trump’s lawyers, who draped a bright “MAGA” jacket around the podium as she spoke. “So do you know what they claim, friends? This is very scary. They claim that we will go after them and put them in jail. Well, isn’t he that rich?

“I don’t see any smelly Nazis around here,” Hogan said in his ear-shattering growl.

Trump accused the four criminal complaints against him of being politically motivated. it exists accelerated In recent weeks he has made accusations against his domestic political rivals, calling them “enemies within” and suggested he would use the military to go after them. In response, Harris mentioned Trump is a fascist.

The arena was packed hours before Trump’s speech. The sidewalks outside the arena were filled with Trump supporters wearing red “Make America Great Again” hats. There was a heavy security presence. Streets were closed and access to Penn Station was restricted.

“This shows you that he has a larger following than any man who has ever lived,” said Philip D’Agostino, a longtime Trump supporter from Queens, where Trump grew up.

A New Yorker returns home

Trump has a complicated history with where he built his business empire and made him a tabloid and reality TV star. Residents last year charged him with 34 felonies for falsifying business records. He was found guilty in this case and was also found liable in civil court for commercial fraud and sexual exploitation.

However, Trump has been talking about wanting to hold a rally in the area called “The World’s Most Famous Arena” since the day he launched his campaign.

The rally was one of a series of detours Trump has made through battleground states, including a recent rally in Coachella, Calif., and rallies on the Jersey Shore and the South Bronx.

While some dismissed the pauses as nothing more than flashy events aimed at boosting Trump’s ego, the rallies ensured a national news flow that could help Trump reach the few remaining undecided voters in the country, many of whom do not get their news through traditional channels.

New York hasn’t voted for a Republican for president in 40 years. But that didn’t stop Trump from insisting he believed he could win. New York is also home to a number of competitive congressional races that will determine which party controls the House of Representatives next year.

Trump routinely uses his hometown as a foil in front of audiences in other states, painting a dark vision of the city that bears little resemblance to reality. He sees it as crime-ridden and overrun by violent immigrant gangs who have taken over Fifth and Madison avenues and occupied Times Square.

But on Sunday, Trump was even more complimentary of the city. “No city embodies the spirit,” he said, talking about the greater energy of the American people and participating in basketball and hockey games on the lawn.

After Trump finished his speech more than an hour later, opera singer Christopher Macchio took the stage to perform “New York, New York.”

The former president smiled and swayed slightly, his wife standing next to him on stage.