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2024 Trump rally at Madison Square Garden

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On October 27, 2024, presidential candidate Donald Trump hosted a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The main event was a 78-minute speech from Trump, which his campaign characterized as his closing message.[1][2] Multiple people associated with Trump, such as Donald Trump Jr., Elon Musk, Rudy Giuliani, and Tucker Carlson, as well as his running mate JD Vance, gave speeches before and after Trump.[3]

2024 Trump rally at Madison Square Garden
Part of Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign
DateOctober 27, 2024 (2024-10-27)
VenueMadison Square Garden
LocationNew York City

Particular attention was paid to remarks by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who spoke prior to Trump and made jokes widely considered offensive toward Latinos (such as Puerto Ricans), Jews, Palestinians, and Black people.[4][1][5][6] The Democratic National Committee projected counter messaging onto the exterior of the building while Trump was speaking.[7]

Background

 
People waiting for the rally

The rally was held around a week before election day for the 2024 United States presidential election. The election was seen as very close, with polls unable to determine a favored candidate.[3][8] Heading into the rally, Trump was increasingly being described as a "fascist,"[9][10] particularly as former top Trump advisors Mark Milley, John Kelly and Jim Mattis had recently described Trump as such.[11][12]

New York native Donald Trump had long hoped to hold a rally at Madison Square Garden and his campaign announced the event on October 9.[13][14]

Program and speakers

New York reported that on the night of the rally a campaign advisor said the speakers' remarks had not been screened in advance, though The Bulwark reported the campaign had asked speakers to submit their speeches for review in advance and had directed one speaker to omit a remark.[15] David Rem, introduced as a childhood friend of Trump, referred to Trump's opponent Kamala Harris as "the devil" and "the Antichrist." Hulk Hogan said during his speech: "I don't see no stinkin' Nazis in here. I don't see no stinkin' domestic terrorists in here. The only thing I see here are a bunch of hard-working men and women that are real Americans, brother."[16] Trump campaign advisor Steven Miller's call that "America is for Americans and Americans only" drew comparisons to the 1939 Nazi rally. Miller responded that people making such comparisons were "spitting on the graves of my Jewish ancestors".[17]

Notable speakers included:

The Trump campaign introduced a new slogan at the rally: "Trump Will Fix It."[23]

Tony Hinchcliffe

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.[1]

Tony Hinchcliffe

Tony Hinchcliffe, a comedian and podcast host, delivered a stand-up routine at the beginning of the rally and made several jokes based on racist stereotypes. He referred to Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage."[24] He expressed disdain for migrants and stated "these Latinos, they love making babies, they do. There's no pulling out. They don't do that, they come inside, just like they do to our country."[25] He joked that he and a Black audience member had "carved watermelons together" at a Halloween party, referring to a longstanding stereotype. He compared the Israeli–Palestinian conflict to a game of rock paper scissors, mentioning Palestinians throwing rocks and saying that "Jews have a hard time throwing that paper," referring to stereotypes of Jewish people as greedy.[4][26]

The Bulwark reported that Hinchcliffe had submitted a written draft of his speech to the campaign beforehand, to be loaded into a teleprompter. The original draft contained a joke referring to Kamala Harris as a "cunt", but campaign officials told him to remove it from his routine.[1][27][15] The New Republic reported that this would mean the campaign saw the Puerto Rico comments ahead of time and did not object to them. The campaign stated that Hinchcliffe had ad-libbed the comments, but Hinchcliffe had publicly practiced the Puerto Rico line multiple times the day before.[28]

Grant Cardone

Grant Cardone, a conservative influencer and investor, made a misogynistic remark that Harris "and her pimp handlers will destroy our country.”[29][30]

Response

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz and Hillary Clinton compared the rally to the 1939 Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden.[2] Hinchcliffe's remarks were widely criticized as racist, including by prominent politicians such as Walz, who called him a "jackwad",[31][32] and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is of Puerto Rican ancestry. Representative Ritchie Torres, also of Puerto Rican ancestry, said that he was "tempted to call Hinchcliffe racist garbage but doing so would be an insult to garbage."[33][34][35][36]

 
 
Following the rally, Puerto Rican entertainers Bad Bunny (left) and Ricky Martin (right) expressed support for presidential candidate Kamala Harris

In response to Hinchcliffe's comments about Puerto Rico, many Puerto Rican celebrities, including rapper Bad Bunny and singer Ricky Martin, expressed support for Trump's rival Kamala Harris after the rally.[37] While Bad Bunny allowed his music to be used for the Biden campaign in 2020,[38] he had previously refrained from endorsing a candidate in 2024, focusing his activism on issues pertaining to the island of Puerto Rico and expressing a desire to be uninvolved in politics.[39] Musician Nicky Jam, who previously spoke at a rally supporting Trump, withdrew his endorsement.[40] The large Puerto Rican population in Pennsylvania, a swing state in the 2024 United States presidential election, prompted Trump campaign senior advisor Danielle Alvarez to say that it did not reflect the views of Trump or the campaign, a move which The New York Times described as a departure from the "Trump ethos ... to never apologize, never admit error and try to ignore controversy".[6]

The chair of the Republican Party of Puerto Rico, Angel M. Cintrón, called on Trump to apologize for Hinchcliffe's comments, saying he will withhold his support until an apology is given.[41] The Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico, Roberto O. Gonzalez Nieves, criticized Hinchcliffe for the comment and responded to the defense that it was a joke, saying "I enjoy a good joke...However, humor has its limits. It should not insult or denigrate the dignity and sacredness of people. Hinchcliffe’s remarks do not only provoke sinister laughter but hatred."[42][43][44]

President Biden condemned the event, saying "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters — his, his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American." The White House later released a transcript that showed an apostrophe in the word "supporter's", appearing to indicate Biden was saying that Hinchcliffe’s demonization was garbage. [45]

Republican politicians in Florida running for reelection expressed concern about Hinchcliffe's comments.[6] Senator Rick Scott tweeted "It's not funny and it's not true".[15] María Elvira Salazar, a House member who represents a district in South Florida, described Hinchcliffe's comments as "disgusting".[6]

Past Trump critics Megyn Kelly and Nikki Haley, both now endorsing Trump in the 2024 campaign, separately made statements criticizing the fact that an overwhelming amount of the rally's speakers were men; Kelly called the rally speakers' rhetoric "totally counterproductive" to women voters[46] while Haley commented, "This bromance and this masculinity stuff, it borders on edgy to the point that it’s going to make women uncomfortable."[47]

Donald Trump said it was an "honor to be involved" and called the event "an absolute lovefest".[48][49][50]

New York City mayor Eric Adams denied that Trump is a fascist and added that "anyone suggesting that is minimizing the actual acts of a fascist — Adolf Hitler. Six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust."[51] Former Democratic state assemblyman Dov Hikind, who switched to the Republican Party in 2023, argued that "this is their last effort to picture Donald Trump as Nazi-like. It’s absolute insanity, and it’s not going to work."[51] Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said that “Comparing President Trump — who has Jewish children and grandchildren — to Hitler is shameful, and trivializes the Holocaust.”[51]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Colvin, Jill; Price, Michelle L. (October 28, 2024). "Trump's Madison Square Garden event features crude and racist insults". Associated Press.
  2. ^ a b Gabbatt, Adam; Pilkington, Ed (October 28, 2024). "Trump fills Madison Square Garden with anger, vitriol and racist threats". The Guardian. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Goldmacher, Shane; Haberman, Maggie; Gold, Michael (October 27, 2024). "Trump at the Garden: A Closing Carnival of Grievances, Misogyny and Racism". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Galbraith, Alex (October 27, 2024). "Trump-supporting comedian opens MSG rally by calling Puerto Rico a "floating pile of garbage"". Salon.com. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  5. ^ Holland, Steve; Mason, Jeff; Oliphant, James (October 28, 2024). "Trump headlines Madison Square Garden rally after vulgar, racist remarks from allies". Reuters. Retrieved October 28, 2024. that began with a series of vulgar and racist remarks by allies of the former president.
  6. ^ a b c d Haberman, Maggie; Swan, Jonathan; Gold, Michael (October 28, 2024). "Trump Team Fears Damage From Racist Rally Remarks". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 28, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  7. ^ Cathey, Libby (October 27, 2024). "DNC projects message tying Trump to Hitler on Madison Square Garden during rally". CBS News. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  8. ^ Dorn, Sara (October 27, 2024). "Trump Vs. Harris 2024 Polls: Harris Leads In Latest 2 Surveys—As Most Polls Show Razor-Thin Race". Forbes.
  9. ^ Ward, Myah (October 12, 2024). "We watched 20 Trump rallies. His racist, anti-immigrant messaging is getting darker". Politico. Retrieved October 28, 2024. It's a stark escalation over the last month of what some experts in political rhetoric, fascism, and immigration say is a strong echo of authoritarians and Nazi ideology.
  10. ^ Nichols, Tom (October 14, 2024). "Donald Trump's Fascist Romp". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  11. ^ Schmidt, Michael S. (October 23, 2024). "As Election Nears, Kelly Warns Trump Would Rule Like a Dictator". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  12. ^ Miller, Tim (October 17, 2024). "Mattis Told Woodward He Agreed Trump Was a Uniquely Dangerous Threat". The Bulwark.
  13. ^ "Donald Trump teases possible Madison Square Garden rally". NBC New York. April 25, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  14. ^ Colvin, Jill (October 9, 2024). "Trump will hold a rally at Madison Square Garden in the race's final stretch". Associated Press. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Caputo, Marc A. "Trump's Shock Comic Was Set to Call Harris a 'C*nt'". The Bulwark. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d Nordyke, Kimberly (October 28, 2024). "Hulk Hogan, Dr. Phil, Elon Musk Speak at Donald Trump's Insult-Filled Rally at Madison Square Garden". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  17. ^ Contreras, Russell (October 28, 2024). "Trump's MSG event draws comparisons to 1939 Nazi rally". Axios.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Who is speaking at the Donald Trump rally at Madison Square Garden? Here's the speaker list". NBC New York. October 27, 2024.
  19. ^ a b c Bade, Rachael; Daniels, Eugene (October 28, 2024). "Playbook: Trump closes with cringe". Politico.
  20. ^ "Video Rudy Giuliani disparages Palestinians at Trump's MSG rally". ABC News. October 28, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  21. ^ Johnson, Ted (October 27, 2024). "Dr. Phil Endorses Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden Rally". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  22. ^ "Stefanik speaks at Trump's NYC rally". WWNY-TV. October 28, 2024.
  23. ^ Samuels, Brett (October 28, 2024). "5 takeaways from Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally". The Hill. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  24. ^ McCausland, Phil; Hayes, Christal (October 28, 2024). "Tony Hinchcliffe: Backlash after comedian at Trump rally calls Puerto Rico 'island of garbage'". BBC News. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  25. ^ Hernández, Alec (October 28, 2024). "As Trump courts their vote, comedian at his rally makes racist jokes about Latinos and Puerto Rico". NBC News. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  26. ^ Martinez, Amethyst (October 27, 2024). "Opening Act at Trump's NYC Rally Spews Vile Racism". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  27. ^ "Backlash to Racist MAGA Rally Builds: Live Updates". New York. October 28, 2024.
  28. ^ Olmsted, Edith (October 29, 2024). "Trump's Racist Comedian Wanted to Make an Even Worse Harris Joke". The New Republic.
  29. ^ "Trump's Madison Square Garden rally overshadowed by his allies' crude and racist remarks". NBC News. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  30. ^ "Off-color jokes, vitriol take over Trump Madison Square Garden rally". NPR. October 28, 2024.
  31. ^ @KamalaHQ (October 27, 2024). "Gov. Walz and @AOC react to this clip: "When you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico 'floating garbage,' know that that's what they think about you. It's what they think about anyone who makes less money than them… I want every Puerto Rican in Philadelphia and Reading and across the country to see this clip"" (Tweet). Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Twitter.
  32. ^ Gold, Michael; Haberman, Maggie; Goldmacher, Shane (October 27, 2024). "Trump Rally Opens With Insults Aimed at Latino, Black, Jewish and Arab American Voters". The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  33. ^ Samuels, Brett (October 27, 2024). "Speaker at Trump rally compares Puerto Rico to 'island of garbage'". The Hill. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  34. ^ Meyer, Josh (October 27, 2024). "Trump-supporting comedian opens rally by calling Puerto Rico a 'floating pile of garbage'". USA Today. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  35. ^ Torres, Ritchie [@RitchieTorres] (October 27, 2024). "As a Puerto Rican, I am tempted to call Hinchcliffe racist garbage but doing so would be an insult to garbage. When casting their ballots at the voting booth, Latinos should never forget the racism that Donald Trump seems all too willing to platform" (Tweet). Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Twitter.
  36. ^ Bohannon, Molly (October 27, 2024). "Comedian At Donald Trump's NYC Rally Calls Puerto Rico 'Floating Island Of Garbage'". Forbes. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  37. ^ "Puerto Rican stars Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin back Kamala Harris after racist comments at Trump rally". The Guardian. October 27, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  38. ^ Licon, Adriana Gomez (October 27, 2024). "Latin superstar Bad Bunny backs Harris for president after comedian's racist jokes at Trump event". Associated Press. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  39. ^ Rodríguez, Jesús; Rodriguez, Sabrina (September 19, 2024). "The pop star endorsement that could really swing the election? Bad Bunny". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 19, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  40. ^ Garcia, Thania (October 30, 2024). "Nicky Jam Retracts Donald Trump Endorsement, Says He's 'Stepping Away' From Politics: 'Puerto Rico Deserves Respect'". Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  41. ^ Vigdor, Neil (October 29, 2024). "Puerto Rico's G.O.P. Chairman Demands Apology From Trump for Comic's Remarks". The New York Times. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  42. ^ "Trump Speaks For An Hour Without Addressing Puerto Rico Controversy". HuffPost. October 29, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  43. ^ Fortinsky, Sarah (October 29, 2024). "Puerto Rico archbishop presses Trump to publicly 'disavow' comedian's joke". The Hill. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  44. ^ "Puerto Rico prelate demands apology for 'island of garbage' joke at Trump rally". Crux. October 29, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  45. ^ Kanno-Youngs, Zolan. "Biden Appears to Insult Trump Supporters as 'Garbage,' but Quickly Tries to Clarify". New York Times. Archived from the original on October 30, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  46. ^ Fields, Ashleigh (October 29, 2024). "Megyn Kelly says speakers at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally were 'totally counterproductive'". The Hill. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  47. ^ Cameron, Chris (October 29, 2024). "Nikki Haley Says She Is 'on Standby' to Campaign for Donald Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  48. ^ Bradner, Eric (October 29, 2024). "Trump says it was 'my honor to be involved' in controversial Madison Square Garden rally | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  49. ^ "Trump calls Madison Square Garden rally a 'lovefest' amid backlash over speakers' racist remarks". ABC News. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  50. ^ "Trump calls his Madison Square Garden rally 'a lovefest'". NBC News. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  51. ^ a b c Beeferman, Jason (October 29, 2024). "Republican Jews — and Eric Adams — stand with Trump". Politico. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
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