The News
New York, NY — Donald Trump wanted a rally at Madison Square Garden. And, nine days out from the presidential election, he got one at its Trumpiest.
The venue was packed and the crowd was raucous. Tulsi Gabbard warned that a vote for Kamala Harris is a vote for “likely World War III and nuclear war.” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that the Democratic Party had left him — not the other way around. UFC president Dana White argued that Trump has a proven track record, and that Harris is “no agent of change.” Hulk Hogan, after ripping off his shirt to reveal a Trump/Vance sleeveless tee, pushed back on Democrats who compared the night to a 1939 pro-Nazi event at the arena: “I don’t see no stinkin’ Nazis in here!” he said to cheers. Even Melania Trump, introduced by Elon Musk, made a rare surprise appearance, calling on voters to “charge together with a shared vision that builds on American greatness.”
Ahead of Trump’s speech, aides highlighted that the event would preview Trump’s closing argument against Harris: “That Kamala Harris broke it, President Trump will fix it,” as senior advisor Jason Miller put it.
“I’d like to begin by asking a very simple question: Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” Trump said at the start of his remarks, emphasizing that very message — one that he has at times struggled to drive home.
The night was pure, unvarnished Trump — which meant there was plenty for both parties to share with their supporters.
For Republicans, the night was seen as a win. Trump, appearing in his hometown — in a reliably blue state that his campaign, at least, isn’t arguing is in play — filled the iconic venue to capacity. With the attention of every major media platform, he gave familiar remarks for those who have attended his prior rallies, honing in on immigration and the economy as he attacked Harris as someone who “can’t put two sentences together.” One person on the campaign described it as a “bonus convention day,” referring to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee earlier this year.
But Democrats also saw the night as a win. Hours before Trump took the stage, the event was getting attention in the press for all the wrong reasons, with Democrats and media stories highlighting crude and offensive remarks made by some of the speakers.
Comedian Tony Hinchecliffe described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” a remark that even earned a rebuke from Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott. In another moment, Hinchecliffe pointed to a Black supporter in the crowd and joked that they had “carved watermelons together” at a recent Halloween party. Another speaker, radio host Sin Rosenberg, attacked Hillary Clinton as “a sick son of a bitch.” And David Rem, described by the campaign as one of Trump’s childhood friends, called Harris the “antichrist.”
“What the fuck were they thinking?” one Democratic operative texted.
By coincidence, the event took place on the same day Harris was doing focused outreach to Puerto Rican voters — nearly half a million of whom live in Pennsylvania, where they have been a priority for Republican outreach efforts. Democrats highlighted the divide between Hinchecliffe’s remarks and Harris’ direct-to-camera appeals for voter support while stars like Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin weighed in on Harris’ behalf.
“This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” Danielle Alvarez, a senior advisor to the Trump campaign, said in a statement after the event.
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Shelby’s view
Will Trump’s speakers overshadow the event itself? It’s entirely possible — a few hours into the night, after all, headlines focused on the “ugly rhetoric” and “racist, lewd jokes.” But, with nine days to go, everything boils down to one question: Will it impact the election?
As the Florida Republicans lining up to condemn Hinchecliffe made clear, insulting a large and established voting bloc doesn’t help the party. That said, the vast majority of voters have already made up their minds, and a Trump event going into extreme or offensive territory is not a new concept to most. Nor does the campaign appear to be treating undecided voters as their top priority: The event on Sunday night was maximally Trump in every way possible and seemed more designed to excite his base ahead of the final stretch rather than win new converts.
Notable
- Kamala Harris has been using Trump’s own words, his former aides, and Republican politicians to make her closing argument that a second Trump term would be more dangerous than his first, Semafor reported last week.