NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump took the stage Sunday night at New York’s Madison Square Garden after several of his allies used crude and extreme rhetoric toward Vice President Kamala Harris and other critics of the former president.
The Republican nominee began what his campaign said would be his closing argument with the election nine days away by asking the same questions he’s asked at the start of every recent rally: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” The crowd responded with a resounding “No!”
“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,” he said after being introduced by his wife, Melania Trump, whose rare surprise appearance comes after she has been largely absent on the campaign trail.
The event was marked by a series of racist and sexist comments from several speakers.
Trump’s childhood friend David Rem referred to the Democratic presidential candidate, who is vying to become the first woman to be elected president, as “the Antichrist” and “the devil.” Businessman Grant Cardone told the crowd that Harris ”and her pimp handlers will destroy our country.”
The opening of the rally was a hodgepodge of Trumpism, with an extended clip played from the 1970 film “Patton,” a painting of the American flag with Trump in front of it hugging the Empire State Building as “God Bless America” blared from the speakers, and a stand-up routine from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe that was full of lewd jokes, often invoking racist stereotypes of Latinos, Jews and Black people.
“I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” said Hinchcliffe, whose comment was immediately flagged by Harris’ campaign as it competes with Trump to win over Puerto Rican communities in Pennsylvania and other swing states.
Shortly after Hinchcliffe's appearance, music superstar Bad Bunny, who is from Puerto Rico, endorsed Harris.
With just over a week to go before Election Day, the former president was to take the stage Sunday at one of the country's most well-known venues, hosting a hometown rally to deliver his campaign's closing message against Harris. The program leading up to his appearance was filled with conservative officials, longtime allies and media figures popular with conservatives like Dr. Phil McGraw and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Much of the program resembled a somewhat surreal version of July's Republican National Convention, which convened less than two days after Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, who appeared at the RNC, strutted again on Sunday wearing a feather boa and tearing off his shirt to reveal a Trump campaign tee underneath. He flexed his muscles repeatedly and gestured to the crowd after telling the audience: “Trump is the only man that can fix this country today.”
While some Democrats and pundits have questioned Trump’s decision to hold what they dismiss as a vanity event in his hometown, the rally guarantees Trump what he most craves: the spotlight, wall-to-wall coverage and a national audience.
The closing message he will deliver Sunday, according to his campaign, is that Harris “broke” the country and that Trump “will fix it.” Rallygoers hours beforehand waved signs with the words “Trump will fix it.”
Several speakers ripped Hillary Clinton, the Democrat defeated by Trump eight years ago, for saying Trump on Sunday would be “reenacting” a pro-Nazi event at the Garden in February 1939. One critic, radio host Sid Rosenberg, used a profanity to denounce the former secretary of state.
“Hey guys, they're now scrambling and trying to call us Nazis and fascists,” said Alina Habba, one of Trump's attorneys, who draped a sparkly “MAGA” jacket over the lectern as she spoke. “And you know what they're claiming, guys? It's very scary. They're claiming we're going to go after them and try and put them in jail. Well, ain't that rich?”
Declared Hogan in his characteristic raspy growl: “I don't see no stinkin' Nazis in here.”
Trump has denounced the four criminal indictments brought against him as politically motivated. He has ramped up his denunciations in recent weeks of “enemies from within,” naming domestic political rivals, and suggested he would use the military to go after them. Harris, in turn, has called Trump a “fascist.”
The arena was full hours before Trump was scheduled to speak. Outside the arena, the sidewalks were overflowing with Trump supporters in red “Make America Great Again” hats. There was a heavy security presence. Streets were blocked off and access to Penn Station was restricted.
In the crowd was Philip D’Agostino, a longtime Trump backer from Queens, the borough where Trump grew up. The 64-year-old said it was appropriate for Trump to be speaking at a place bills itself as “the world’s most famous arena.”
“It just goes to show ya that he has a bigger following of any man that has ever lived,” D'Agostino said.
The rally is one of a series of detours Trump has made from battleground states, including a recent rally in Coachella, California — best known for the famous music festival named after the town — and one in May on the Jersey Shore. This summer he campaigned in the South Bronx.
To reach them, Trump has spent hours appearing on popular podcasts. And his campaign has worked to create viral moments like his visit last weekend to a McDonald’s restaurant, where he made fries and served supporters through the drive-thru window. Video of the stop posted by his campaign has been viewed more than 40 million times on TikTok alone.
Harris has also traveled to non-battleground states for major events intended to drive a national message. She appeared in Houston Friday with music superstar Beyoncé to speak about reproductive rights, and will deliver her own closing argument Tuesday from the Ellipse in Washington, where Trump spoke ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
Trump will be joined at the rally by supporters including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has spent tens of millions of dollars to boost his campaign.
Trump often compares himself to the country’s greatest entertainers. The former reality TV star has long talked about wanting to hold a rally at the venue in interviews and private conversations.
Beyond the national spotlight and the appeal of appearing on one of the world's most famous stages, Republicans in the state say the rally will also help down-ballot candidates. New York is home to a handful of competitive congressional races that could determine which party controls the House next year.
Trump will also use the stop as a major fundraising opportunity as he continues to seriously lag Harris in the money race.
New York has not voted for a Republican for president in 40 years. But that hasn't stopped Trump from continuing to insist he believes he can win.
Trump routinely uses his hometown as a foil before audiences in other states, painting a dark vision of the city that bears little resemblance to reality. He’s cast it as crime-ridden and overrun by violent, immigrant gangs who have taken over Fifth and Madison avenues and occupied Times Square.
Trump has a complicated history with the place where he built his business empire and that made him a tabloid and reality TV star. Its residents indicted him last year on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He was found guilty in that case, and also found liable in civil court for business fraud and sexual abuse.
