Trump held a rally at Madison Square Garden, Harris in Philadelphia via Reuters
Written by Steve Holland, Jeff Mason and James Oliphant
NEW YORK/PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – Donald Trump will lead a rally in Madison Square Garden, New York, which began with a series of insulting and racist remarks made by supporters of the former president.
Trump, a New York celebrity for decades, had hoped to use the event at the historic venue known for Knicks basketball games and Billy Joel concerts to deliver his closing speech against Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, although the state ended up endorsing the presidential candidate. of the Republic in 1984. .
“We want to close it with a good bang,” he said last week.
Some of the keynote speakers used racist and misogynistic language to warm up the crowd in the hours before Trump spoke.
Rudy Giuliani, a former New York City mayor and former Trump attorney, falsely claimed that Harris was on the “terrorist side” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and wanted to bring Palestinians to the United States.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe used witty language to joke that Latinos “love to make babies” and called the Caribbean US territory of Puerto Rico a “floating garbage island.”
Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin posted a comment clip on his Instagram and wrote, in Spanish, “This is what they think of us.”
Harris earlier on Sunday visited a Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia in the must-win state of Pennsylvania to encourage people to vote. He posted a video on social media promising to “invest in Puerto Rico's future” as president.
Harris' campaign said in an email that the Madison Square Garden rally “showcases the same divisive and degrading message” as Trump.
Trump's 2016 opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, accused him of “re-enacting” a pro-Nazi rally held in Madison Square Garden in 1939 before World War II.
Trump's critics have long accused him of empowering white people with derogatory and racist remarks.
Trump rejected comparisons to the 1930s. “This is called Make America Great Again, that's all,” he said Friday.
“Today this is Donald Trump's house,” said wrestler Hulk Hogan in his speech at a New York event on Sunday, later rejecting allegations that Trump is a fascist: “I don't see Nazis here.”
Polls show that the candidates are neck and neck in the battleground that will decide the next president with a little more than a week until Election Day. More than 38 million votes have been cast.
Trump wanted to tie Harris to the Biden administration's handling of immigration and the economy. Last week, Trump issued a new line of attack: “You broke it, and I promise you I'm going to fix it.”
The US economy has performed better than the rest of the developed world since the COVID crisis, and stock markets have hit record highs this year. But higher prices for food, utilities and housing have rattled voters, who believe the economy is headed in the wrong direction.
Harris, who held a meeting with Bruce Springsteen in Atlanta on Thursday and Beyonce in Houston on Friday, will host another high-profile event with a speech on Tuesday on the National Mall in Washington, where he will highlight the differences between himself and Trump.
“He's full of whining. He's full of dark language about revenge and revenge,” Harris said of Trump in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Trump, who held a rally on Long Island, New York, in September, said he was making a national play. Ronald Reagan's reelection was the last time New York supported a Republican for president; Democrat Joe Biden won the state in 2020 with 23 percent.
'SHOW OF POWER'
By making an event that draws attention to the world's largest news market, Trump could help boost Republican candidates in New York's congressional races. The state has seven competitive seats that could help determine whether the party holds onto the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
It could also give Trump a boost in nearby northeastern Pennsylvania, a battleground state that has become home to New York commuters.
The Trump campaign said the event at the 19,500-seat arena, which would cost more than $1 million to rent, is over. Tickets are free and on a first-come, first-served basis, as was the case for Harris' Houston concert.
A crowd of about 30,000 people attended Harris's meeting with Beyonce on Friday night in Houston, and about 20,000 at the rally in Atlanta.
“My internal polling is my instinct,” Harris told reporters in Philadelphia when asked how the campaign is doing in its internal polling programs.
“The momentum is with us,” he said.
After a stop in neighboring Philadelphia, Harris plans to visit all the battlefields in the coming days, including Madison, Wisconsin, a rally and concert with folk rock group Mumford & Sons and a Las Vegas event with the band -pop Mexican Mana.
