NEW YORK CITY – Former President Donald Trump is hosting a hometown rally at Madison Square Garden Sunday, just nine days before Election Day.
“Madison Square Garden is the center of the universe,” Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said, noting the venue’s storied history of hosting events including the 1971 “Fight of the Century.”
The rally is one of a series of detours Trump has made from battleground states, including a recent rally in Coachella, California, and one over the summer on the Jersey Shore. This summer he campaigned in the South Bronx.
Trump has insisted the MSG rally is part of a bigger effort to win New York — a state President Joe Biden carried four years ago with more than 60% of the vote — but he’s also made clear that the rally is personal.
“It’s the New York, but it’s also, you know, it’s MSG, it’s Madison Square Garden,” Trump said during a recent radio interview. “Guys like you and I, that means a lot, those words. Madison Square Garden, right? Don’t you think so? … It’s a very big stop.”
Trump’s rally started at 5 p.m.
FOX 5 NY is streaming the event in the media player above.
Here’s everything you need to know:
JUMP TO RALLY LATEST | GUESTS | HISTORY OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN | STREET CLOSURES
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 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 joke was immediately flagged by Democrat Kamala Harris’ campaign, which is competing with Trump to win over Puerto Rican communities in Pennsylvania and other swing states.
Several critics 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 speaker, 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?”
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.
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.
While some Democrats and TV pundits have questioned Trump’s decision to hold what they dismiss as vanity events, the rally guarantees Trump what he most craves: the spotlight, wall-to-wall coverage and a national audience.
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.
“He’s not just going to be speaking to the attendees inside Madison Square Garden. There will be people tuning in from battleground states all across the country,” said former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, a New York Republican and ally of the former president, who said Trump has been talking about holding an event at the venue since the start of his campaign.
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.
“Madison Square Garden is the center of the universe,” said Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller, noting the venue’s storied history hosting events including the 1971 “Fight of the Century.”
According to Fox News, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and UFC CEO Dana White will also be in town for the rally.
The event will feature a lineup of political figures, celebrities, and musical artists. Notable guests include:
- Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani
- Former Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- Political commentator Tucker Carlson
- Former Democratic presidential candidate turned Republican Tulsi Gabbard
- Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance
- House Speaker Mike Johnson
- Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)
- Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.)
- Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump
- Eric Trump
- Donald Trump Jr.
- Death Row Records founder Michael Harris Jr.
- Singer Lee Greenwood
- Opera singer Christopher Macchio
Signage prior to a campaign event with former US President Donald Trump, not pictured, outside Madison Square Garden in New York, US, on Sunday, Oct 27, 2024. The Republican presidential nominee returns to his hometown on Sunday for an event at an ic
Madison Square Garden has a history in politics, hosting events with Dwight Eisenhower and Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1962, John F. Kennedy Jr. held a birthday celebration at the stadium where Marilyn Monroe famously sang “Happy Birthday to You, Mr. President.”
But if there’s one bit of Garden history Trump might want to replicate, it’s when Grover Cleveland accepted his party’s nomination in 1892, three years after leaving the White House. He went on to win the election, becoming the first and only president to serve two non-consecutive terms.
Tight security for Trump MSG rally
Former President Donald Trump will host a rally at Madison Square Garden (MSG) on Sunday, just days before Election Day, that is expected to draw thousands to the NYC area.
NYPD Chief John Chell said there would be heavy police presence and traffic restrictions in and around the Garden limiting cars and pedestrians.
The following streets will likely be limited to incoming traffic:
- 33rd Street between 6th Avenue & 8th Avenue
- 32nd Street between 6th Avenue & 7th Avenue
- 31st Street between 6th Avenue & 8th Avenue
- 30th Street between 6th Avenue & 8th Avenue
- 7th Avenue will be closed to pedestrians from 34th to 29th Street
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
