Trump concludes Madison Square Garden rally with a fiery speech, slams political rivals

At a menacing 80-minute address, former President Donald Trump concluded his rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday by attacking immigrants, criticizing his political opponents, and vowing to use an 18th-century law to authorize mass deportations.

However, the New York City rally’s opening acts—a diverse group of donors, entertainers, and MAGA politicians—were responsible for igniting a last-minute campaign fervor that drew ire from Democrats and some Republicans who were concerned that the vindictive performance would harm their reputation with moderate voters.

Associated live-storyThe most recent information on the 2024 presidential contest

Many of the speakers on the list were local Trump supporters, who used the occasion to vent their frustrations at some of Trump’s favorite targets. Harris was referred to as “the antichrist” by one unsuccessful Republican House candidate.

He was hardly noticeable.

Comedian and podcast presenter Tony Hinchcliffe opened the gathering by criticizing Puerto Rico, which is the city with the biggest Puerto Rican population on the US mainland. Harris campaigned on Sunday in battleground Pennsylvania, which is home to some 500,000 Puerto Ricans.

I don’t know whether you are aware, but there is a floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean right now. There’s a lot going on,” he remarked. “I believe the name is Puerto Rico.”

Trump fans, who crowded the historic venue in Midtown Manhattan, responded favorably to the phrase. Trump’s tirades against illegal immigrants have lately led him to refer to the US as “a garbage can for the world.”

These Latinos also like having children. “Remember that they do,” Hinchcliffe said.

Following the event, Trump’s team made an effort to disassociate itself from Hinchcliffe’s remarks against Puerto Rico, even though he was an invited guest like the other speakers.

“This joke does not represent the opinions of President Trump or the campaign,” Danielle Alvarez, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, told CNN.

However, Harris’ campaign had already taken advantage of the Puerto Rico assaults, swiftly snipping the footage and sharing it on social media. The vice president spoke about her vision for the island and her efforts to reduce expenses and promote opportunities in Puerto Rican communities on the mainland during her Sunday visit to a Puerto Rican eatery in North Philadelphia.

Shortly after Hinchcliffe departed the stage, Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny, whose record “Un Verano Sin Ti” was the most-streamed album worldwide in 2023, shared a video of Harris outlining her proposal for Puerto Rico to his 45 million Instagram followers.

Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican from Florida whose reelection campaign relies heavily on the Puerto Rican population in the state, joined the outcry, posting on X, “It’s not funny and it’s not true.” Puerto Ricans are wonderful Americans and wonderful people!

Hinchcliffe responded to the outcry on social media as well, claiming that his detractors “have no sense of humor.”

I like taking vacations in Puerto Rico. He commented, “Watch the entire set. I made fun of everyone.”

Trump mostly followed the script in his own comments, including his now-familiar claim that his political opponents are a treasonous “enemy within.” Trump was introduced by former first lady Melania Trump in her first speaking engagement at a rally this cycle.

The former president said, “The Democrat party is being run by a huge, corrupt, and malevolent leftist machine.” “They are the enemy within; we have to defeat them; they are cunning and vicious.”
Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News personality, was another warm-up act. He repeated his previous criticisms of Harris and the notion that Americans would be applauding her potential victory.

After Harris wins, Carlson said, “It’s going to be pretty hard to look at (the country) and say, you know what, Kamala Harris, she got 85 million votes because she’s so impressive – as the first Samoan, Malaysian, low IQ former California prosecutor ever to be elected president.” Carlson went on to say that anyone who is not impressed by Harris will be labeled a “criminal” or a “freak.”

Later, while holding a crucifix, Republican congressman David Rem used the microphone to refer to Harris as “the devil.”

Rem lamented, “She is the antichrist,” before declaring his intention to run for mayor.

Sid Rosenberg, a radio broadcaster who used to sit next to Don Imus on WFAN, the biggest sports station in the region, began his speech by disparaging Clinton, the Democratic candidate eight years before.

“She is some sick bastard, that Hillary Clinton, huh?” he continued, echoing some of Trump’s previous comments. “What a sick b*tch’s son.”

After that, Rosenberg focused on the current migrant population in New York City and expressed his rage at the efforts made by the local authorities to provide them with food and housing.

“You have homeless people and veterans—Americans, Americans—sleeping on a bench in Central Park on their own excrement,” Rosenberg said. “But don’t the f**king illegals get whatever they want?”