NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Donald Trump hosted a rally featuring crude and racist insults at New York鈥檚 Madison Square Garden Sunday, turning what his campaign had dubbed as the event where he would deliver his closing message into an illustration of what turns off his critics.
With just over a week before Election Day, speakers labeled Puerto Rico a 鈥渇loating island of garbage,鈥 called Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris 鈥渢he devil,鈥 and said the woman vying to become the first woman and Black woman president had begun her career as a prostitute.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if you guys know this, but there鈥檚 literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it鈥檚 called Puerto Rico,鈥 said Tony Hinchcliffe, a stand-up comic whose set also included lewd and racist comments about Latinos, Jews and Black people, all key constituencies in the election just nine days away.
His joke was immediately criticized by Harris鈥 campaign as it competes with Trump to in Pennsylvania and other swing states. backed Harris shortly after Hinchcliffe's appearance.
The normally pugnacious Trump campaign took the rare step of distancing itself from Hinchcliffe. 鈥淭his joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign," senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a statement.
But other speakers also made incendiary comments. Trump鈥檚 childhood friend David Rem referred to Harris as 鈥渢he Antichrist鈥 and 鈥渢he devil.鈥 Businessman Grant Cardone told the crowd that Harris 鈥漚nd her pimp handlers will destroy our country.鈥
The marquee event reflected the former president's tone throughout his third White House campaign. Though he refrained from doing so Sunday, Trump often tears into Harris in himself, questioning in recent weeks her mental stability and her intelligence as well as calling her 鈥渓azy,鈥 long a racist trope used against Black people.
The event was a surreal spectacle that included former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, TV psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, politicians including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Reps. Byron Donalds and Elise Stefanik, and an artist who painted a picture of Trump hugging the Empire State Building.
And that was all before Trump was to take the stage, running more than two hours late.
After being introduced by his wife, Melania Trump, in a rare public appearance, the former president began by asking the same questions he鈥檚 asked at the start of every recent rally: 鈥淎re you better off now than you were four years ago?鈥 The crowd responded with a resounding 鈥淣o!鈥
鈥淭his election is a choice between whether we鈥檒l have four more years of gross incompetence and failure, or whether we鈥檒l begin the greatest years in the history of our country,鈥 he said.
Trump announced a new tax credit for caregivers
Trump on Sunday added a new proposal to aimed at winning over older adults and blue-collar workers, which already includes vows to end taxes on Social Security benefits, tips and overtime pay: A tax credit for family caregivers.
This comes after Harris has talked about the 鈥渟andwich generation鈥 of adults caring for aging parents while raising their children at the same time. Harris has proposed federal funding to cover home care costs for older Americans.
Trump otherwise repeated familiar lines about foreign policy and immigration, calling for the death penalty for any migrant who kills a U.S. citizen and saying that the day he takes office, 鈥淭he migrant invasion of our country ends.鈥
As Trump鈥檚 remarks came up on an hour, some of the crowd began trickling out.
Tech mogul Elon Musk, who spoke earlier and introduced Melania Trump, was a prominent part of Trump鈥檚 closing campaign message. The former president called Musk 鈥渁 genius鈥 and 鈥渟pecial.鈥
Musk nodded to Trump's recent plan to allow him to lead a government efficiency commission to audit the entire federal government. Several of Musk's businesses, including Tesla and SpaceX, have major government contracts or have relied on U.S. subsidies, and Musk has faced criticism after reports that with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
鈥淵our money is being wasted and the department of government efficiency is going to fix that," Musk said before taking a place offstage beside Melania Trump.
Many of the speakers Sunday appeared on stage at the Republican 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Convention. This time, the same speakers shouted and railed more against Democrats.
Hogan, returning to the venue where he performed years ago as a professional wrestler, seemed to reprise his character, emerging wearing a giant red, orange and yellow boa and violently waving a large American flag as he posed and danced. He spat on the stage during his speech, flexed his muscles repeatedly and told the audience: 鈥淭rump is the only man that can fix this country today.鈥
Trump allies went after Democrats for bringing up a pro-Nazi rally
Some Democrats, a fascist, have compared his Sunday event to a in February 1939. Several speakers on Sunday ripped Hillary Clinton, the Democrat defeated by Trump eight years ago, for saying recently that Trump would be 鈥渞eenacting鈥 the 1939 event. One of them, radio host Sid Rosenberg, directed a profanity at Clinton.
鈥淗ey guys, they鈥檙e now scrambling and trying to call us Nazis and fascists,鈥 said Alina Habba, one of Trump鈥檚 attorneys, who draped a sparkly 鈥淢AGA鈥 jacket over the lectern as she spoke. 鈥淎nd you know what they鈥檙e claiming, guys? It鈥檚 very scary. They鈥檙e claiming we鈥檙e going to go after them and try and put them in jail. Well, ain鈥檛 that rich?鈥
Declared Hogan in his raspy growl: 鈥淚 don't see no stinkin' Nazis in here.鈥
Trump has denounced the four criminal indictments brought against him as politically motivated. He has his denunciations in recent weeks of 鈥渆nemies from within,鈥 naming domestic political rivals, and suggested he would use the military to go after them. Harris, in turn, has Trump as a fascist.
The arena was full hours before Trump was scheduled to speak. Outside the arena, the sidewalks were overflowing with Trump supporters in red 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥 hats. There was a heavy security presence. Streets were blocked off and access to Penn Station was restricted.
鈥淚t just goes to show ya that he has a bigger following of any man that has ever lived,鈥 said Philip D鈥橝gostino, a longtime Trump backer from Queens, the borough where Trump grew up.
A New Yorker returns home
Trump has a complicated history with the place where he built his business empire and that made him a tabloid and reality TV star. Its residents indicted him last year on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He was found guilty in that case, and also found liable in civil court for business fraud and sexual abuse.
But Trump has been talking about wanting to hold a rally at the venue dubbed 鈥淭he World鈥檚 Most Famous Arena鈥 since he launched his campaign.
The rally was one of a number of detours Trump has made from battleground states, including a recent rally in Coachella, California, and rallies on the Jersey Shore and in the South Bronx.
While some have dismissed the stops as nothing more than vanity events aimed at boosting Trump鈥檚 ego, the rallies guaranteed Trump national coverage that could help him reach the country鈥檚 few remaining undecided voters, many of whom don鈥檛 get their news from traditional outlets.
New York has not voted for a Republican for president in 40 years. But that hasn't stopped Trump from continuing to insist he believes he can win. New York is also home to a handful of competitive congressional races that could determine which party controls the House next year.
Trump routinely uses his hometown as a foil before audiences in other states, painting a dark vision of the city that bears little resemblance to reality. He鈥檚 cast it as crime-ridden and overrun by violent, immigrant gangs who have taken over Fifth and Madison avenues and occupied Times Square.
On Sunday, however, Trump was much more complimentary of the city. He said 鈥渘o city embodies the spirit鈥 and energy of the American people more and talked about attending basketball and hockey games at the Garden.
After Trump concluded his speech after over an hour, opera singer Christopher Macchio came on stage to perform the song 鈥淣ew York, New York.鈥
The former president smiled and swayed slightly, his wife standing next to him on stage.
