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Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally faces backlash over comedian’s remarks
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Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally faces backlash over comedian’s remarks

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NEW YORK – At a campaign at the White House stays as close as a razorDonald Trump on Sunday sought to leverage his celebrity status and present a fun, glitzy event that could cut through the noise at the close.

Instead, the Republican presidential candidate’s lauded Madison Square Garden rally sparked controversy with a series of obscene jabs at Democrats and a comedian’s warm-up act. political anger Trump hopes to win a second term in the White House with a significant base of voters.

Comedian Tony Hinchliffe, who used the stage name Kill Tony in the early stages of the rally, called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” and said Latinos had too many children. Although Trump’s campaign later tried to distance itself from the joke, it had already drawn condemnation from allies such as Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott and the chairman of the Puerto Rico Republican Party.

“There’s a reason why this joke hit the bombshell,” said Scott, a first-term senator. Heated re-election race in 2024. “It’s not funny and it’s not true.”

Trump’s campaign hoped to: Big Apple homecoming Creating a moment with national resonance and driving supporters to the polls with an extravagant event. While some political observers questioned whether it was wise to go to a deep blue state rather than a swing state in the final days of the campaign, Trump and many of his Republican allies maintained that New York was still in play.

While polls show Trump has an advantage on the economy and immigration, he highlighted these issues in the first part of his speech at the rally, where the campaign aimed to blame rival Kamala Harris for high inflation and high levels of illegal immigration in recent years. Trump unveiled a policy proposal calling for new tax cuts for people caring for loved ones at home, sparking chants of “send them back” after he floated a plan to deport undocumented immigrants.

“The United States is currently an occupied country, but soon it will no longer be an occupied country… nine days from now it will be liberation day in America,” Trump said.

Trump did not shy away from some controversial statements, further emphasizing his comments that Democrats and their rivals are “enemies from within.”

“When I say the enemy on the other side has gone crazy… they’ve done terrible things to this country, they’re actually the enemy from within,” Trump said.

The former president also continued to attack Harris in aggressive and deeply personal terms, saying she “couldn’t put two sentences together” after a long line of speakers questioned her intelligence. He tied his attacks to a new campaign slogan: “Trump will fix the problem.”

“Kamala broke it every time, but I will fix it,” he said.

A celebrity show

Trump held another flashy rally of late to drum up media interest and galvanize his base, which fills the 19,500-seat venue known for hosting some of the most celebrities, musicians and sports figures.

The show featured former wrestler Hulk Hogan waving an American flag on stage, conservative media personality Tucker Carlson describing seeing The Grateful Dead in the same arena, and talk show host Dr. It featured Phil claiming that Trump is not a bully. Dr. Phil and Hulk Hogan were surprise, unannounced speakers.

Trump will also be joined by former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani, entrepreneur Elon Musk, former Democratic supporters Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, running mate JD Vance, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, his wife and his two oldest sons. attended. .

Trump said he won’t let Kennedy, a longtime environmentalist, “get too wild on oil and gas,” but plans to let the anti-vaccine advocate “get too crazy on health care.” “I’ll let him run wild with food, I’ll let him run wild with medications.”

Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running against Trump in the GOP primary, told the crowd that he heard Sunday morning from a billionaire friend questioning why the former president was holding an event in New York. His friend said: “Why are you guys wasting your time in New York instead of going to a swing state?” said Ramaswamy.

His response: “New York is a volatile state.” Trump lost New York by wide margins in 2020 and 2016, but the crowd loved it.

After his big night in New York, Trump begins his final week of campaigning before Election Day with a series of action-packed state events. He’ll kick off with a rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday and continue to Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday and Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, where he’ll be joined by former Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre.

New York roots

Supporters of the former president camping He’s on the city streets for what many consider a “historic” event, the ultimate Trump rally.

This comes as polling averages show Trump and Harris locked in a two-point race across the country and in every state. Candidates are making a last-ditch frantic move to get votes. Multiple speakers called on the crowd to “fight, fight, fight,” echoing words Trump said on stage moments after he was shot in a shooting. assassination attempt – and “vote, vote, vote.”

The jumbotron in the arena shouted “voted early!” Permanently displayed above speakers showing how Trump is doing returned from criticizing early and mail-in voting, a move that could cost him in 2020.

Sunday’s rally speakers pointed to the storied history of Madison Square Garden to pair Trump with some of the other legends who appeared there, from singer Elvis Presley to Hogan at the height of his professional wrestling fame.

In an arena that sees many champions, Vance said the “greatest champion” is Trump.

The venue has special resonance for Trump, who grew up in New York and built his real estate empire there. He’s been attending events at the Garden for decades, sitting ringside for boxing matches and UFC fights.

Speakers talked about Trump’s New York roots. Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. “The king of New York has returned to take back the city he built,” he said to thunderous applause.

Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law, said the city teaches you “to be tough.”

Trump has been impeached twice, indicted in four separate criminal cases, and accused of inciting an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. To many at the rally, these were merely signs of his toughness, his persistence in the face of things he opposes. It is defined as unjust oppression.

“They don’t want to face Donald Trump at the ballot box, so they’re going to do whatever they can, imprison him, kill him,” said David Rem, Trump’s childhood friend.

Outside of the rally, many New Yorkers were unhappy with the MAGA invasion.

Along Eighth Avenue, a woman with bright red hair dragged a car carrying a banner that read, “Welcome to your Nazi rally.” Nearby, another woman wearing a “Stop Project 2025” headband waved a sign that read “Trump should be in jail” on one side and “Criminal Don” on the other.

Some Trump critics even infiltrated the rally. Marty Nagel, an attorney who lives on the south shore of Long Island, wore a red MAGA hat to blend in at the rally, even though he’s not a Trump fan. He wanted to witness the scene himself.

“I’m concerned about how the legal system will survive a Trump victory or a Trump loss, and I’m here to testify,” Nagel said.

Reporter Josh Meyer contributed