NEW YORK CITY—Former President Donald Trump took to the stage at the world-renowned Madison Square Garden in New York City on Oct. 27, filling the 20,000-seat arena for a star-studded and potentially pivotal six-hour rally capped by his speech.
Trump rose to fame and fortune in New York City, but became a subject of controversy after running as a Republican candidate in a city that predominantly supports Democrats.
At the rally, Trump and other speakers said the crowd’s size and energy, coupled with recent polling trends, signified a shift in momentum toward him as the Nov. 5 election nears.
“There’s something happening that’s really good, but let’s close it out,” Trump said, referring to his contest against the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.
By holding the rally at Madison Square Garden, often called, the former president also realized a personal dream. For the first time in his life, the native New Yorker headlined his own event at “The Garden.”
Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), noted that the venue has hosted “America’s most celebrated heroes and legends,” from singer Elvis Presley to Hulk Hogan, the professional wrestler who later burst onto the stage, waving an American flag and trailing a red-and-yellow feather boa.
After ripping open his T-shirt to reveal a Trump–Vance shirt, Hogan said he has repeatedly seen sold-out crowds at Madison Square Garden, but that “the energy in here is like something I’ve never felt. Today, this is Donald Trump’s house, brother!”
Tide Might Be Turning
Trump might have been unable to attract such a large crowd to Madison Square Garden during his two prior presidential runs, 2016 and 2020, his son Donald Trump Jr. told the packed arena.“Do you think this ever could have happened four or eight years ago, in the heart of New York City?” the younger Trump said, his voice rising as the audience’s cheers grew louder.
“My father changed the skyline of this city. He fixed the things that incompetent bureaucrats couldn’t handle. ... He did it for our country, too. And now everyone recognizes that.”
His son said the crowd size in New York seems to be an indicator of which candidate’s policies people prefer, as it suggests a turning tide toward Trump even in “blue” New York.
“The fact that I could drive here with my father for, like, 25 blocks, and watch the streets of New York lined up with red MAGA hats, tells us everything you need to know, Donald Trump Jr. said, referring to ballcaps bearing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
‘Dream Big Again’
In a new twist on Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan, glowing signage read “Dream Big Again.”“This is the city where I was born and raised, and this is the town that taught me that Americans can do anything,” Trump said. “No matter our differences, when we work together, there is nothing we cannot achieve.”
He framed the election as a choice between two drastically different track records and visions.
After President Joe Biden was declared the winner of the disputed 2020 election, Biden and Harris reversed many policies Trump enacted as 45th president.
If Trump wins reelection as the 47th president, he has promised to return to his past policies, with some additions, including tax-relief measures.
“We will have the strongest economy, the most secure borders, the safest cities, the most powerful military, the best trade deals, and we will dominate the frontiers of science, medicine, business, technology and space,” he told the crowd.
For many voters, immigration and the economy are key issues in this election, both of which Trump and Harris have approached differently.
Trump argues that those policies aren’t working and that the Biden–Harris environmental regulations are choking business creation while also driving up energy prices and, thus, the cost of consumer goods.
Trump pledged to improve American life on all fronts.
“I’m asking you to be excited about the future of our country again,” he told the audience. “I’m asking you to dream big again. ... This will be America’s new golden age.”
Allies Align
If Trump wins reelection, he said he would create a Department of Government Efficiency, headed by innovator Elon Musk, one of the world’s richest men.Musk, who recently began campaigning on Trump’s behalf, told the audience, “Your money is being wasted, and the Department of Government Efficiency is going to fix that. We’re gonna get the government off your back and out of your pocketbook.”
People who know Trump personally, including several longtime New Yorkers, took the stage to offer little-known insights about him. They attested to his character, for which he has often been maligned.
Trump is assembling a diverse coalition of supporters, Carlson said, evidence that a political “realignment” is happening.
Carlson said he couldn’t imagine what it was like for Trump to work so hard to improve New York, but “all of a sudden, the leadership in New York City decides they’re going to destroy you because they don’t like your politics.”
New Yorker at Heart
Over the years, Trump has repeatedly expressed his aspiration to take center stage at Madison Square Garden. He appeared there at least twice before.Then, in 2019, while he was serving as the 45th president and seeking reelection, Trump strolled into the arena with the CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship Dana White.
White was among Trump’s guest speakers on Sunday.
White’s testimonial for Trump: “The stakes have never been higher, and the choice has never been clearer ... he is the most resilient, hardest-working human being that I’ve ever met in my life.”
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he gets angry when Trump is “demonized” because he had seen Trump repeatedly offer to render aid to New Yorkers, particularly police officers and firefighters, in times of crisis. When Giuliani wanted to publicize those acts of kindness, Trump declined, saying that God was giving him credit for his good deeds.
Surviving a Shooting
Dan Scavino, a Trump campaign staffer said, “I’ve been with this man for 30 years,” adding that he has repeatedly witnessed his determination to achieve what seems to be impossible.“Nobody said we had a shot ... we were polling at 1 percent. Then he won the presidency,” Scavino said.
Scavino shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the aftermath.
While Trump was in a hospital room being treated for a gunshot wound that grazed his ear, narrowly missing a direct impact to his head, Scavino showed Trump a photo that New York Times photographer Doug Mills had taken.
Scavino said the image was so stunning that he thought it would be the most iconic image ever captured in American political history. The photo shows Trump surrounded by Secret Service agents, with blood running down his face and his fist raised; he had just shouted, “Fight, fight, fight!”
When Scavino showed Trump the picture, he stared at it for a moment.
“And the president’s reaction was, ‘How is Doug? Is Doug OK?’” Scavino recounted, appearing to get choked up as he told the story.
After he was “just shot in the damn head,” his first instinct was to ask about other people, Scavino said.
That moment, Scavino said, told him something about Trump. “You’ve got a fighter, behind the scenes, and out in public.”
Later, in a previously unannounced appearance at the rally, former First Lady Melania Trump said she was proud that New York “has produced America’s most fearless leaders.”
But, she said, the city and the nation “need their magic back.”
To end the night, singer Christopher Macchio performed the time-honored Frank Sinatra anthem, “New York, New York,” as attendees swayed in their seats.
