Former First Lady Melania Trump made an unannounced speech at her husband’s campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday in a rare appearance on this year’s campaign trail.
She began by referring to the audience as “the heartbeat of this great metropolis” and describing New York City as “our hometown—where architectural symbols of strength, courage, and unity create a canvas for the world’s undisputed capital of industry.”
“Where titans of finance, fashion, and entertainment convene among an iconic range of superior design, structures, and artistic accomplishments,” she said.
In her remarks, Melania Trump discussed “the decline in the quality of life” in New York City and linked it to “economic instability” that she said has made it difficult for businesses to thrive.
She stated that “crime is on the rise” in the city and that public safety has “diminished,” though she did not provide any details. She also praised the city for producing “America’s most fearless leaders.”
“New York City and America need their magic back,” she said. “Let us charge together with a shared vision that builds on American greatness. Let’s seize this moment and create a country for tomorrow, the future that we deserve.”
Melania Trump wrapped up her speech by introducing her husband, former President Donald Trump, to the crowd, calling him “our next commander-in-chief” as he made his way to the stage, where he hugged his wife and kissed her on the cheek.
The former first lady rarely attends public campaign events alongside her husband. In July, she attended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and stood alongside Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, but did not give a speech.
That event took place a few days after the former president survived an assassination attempt at his Pennsylvania rally, which left one rallygoer dead and two injured.
Melania Trump previously hosted two fundraisers for the LGBT group Log Cabin Republicans, one in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and the other in New York City.
Earlier this month, the former first lady released a memoir in which she expressed her support for abortion rights. She wrote in the book that it is imperative to ensure that “women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government.”
The memoir also addresses the assassination attempt on her husband, in which she describes what it was like to watch “the chaos unfold” and that her husband’s survival was “nothing short of a miracle.”
