Trump's Madison Square Garden rally features hateful speech against Harris and immigration

New York has not voted for a Republican for president for 40 years, but tycoon makes pitch for president with mix of crude jibes and anti-immigration rhetoric

Donald Trump joins his wife Melania on stage during a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. AFP

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Republican nominee and former US president Donald Trump on Sunday hosted an inflammatory event at New York City's Madison Square Garden, with eight days left to the election, in which he is racing against Democrat Kamala Harris.

"I'm here today with a message of hope for all Americans with your vote in this election: I will end inflation. I will stop the invasion of criminals coming into our country, and I will bring back the American dream," Mr Trump told the crowd.

"Our country will be bigger, better, bolder, richer, safer and stronger than ever before."

Mr Trump followed speeches by running mate Ohio Senator JD Vance, Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, and several other speakers who engaged in hateful rhetoric about women, threats against opponents and disparaging language on people of colour.

The former president described migrants as "vicious and blood-thirsty criminals". Earlier, a comedian crudely called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" and mocked Palestinians as rock throwers.

Mr Trump added that the election will decide whether "we will have four more years of gross incompetence and failure, or whether we will begin the four greatest years in the history of our country".

Thousands queued for several blocks in several lines to enter the arena during the afternoon, with most wearing the signature “Make America Great Again” hats. Some entered security pens and chanted “USA,” and “fight for Trump".

“To be honest, I'll be very surprised if he doesn't win, and disappointed also, unfortunately, but I don't see it happening,” Ed, visiting from south Florida, told The National.

“This energy, you cannot … You can't create this. It's very organic.”

Traders sold Trump-themed memorabilia and merchandise before the rally, as New York police officers queued up along the pavement and manned barricades to oversee security and smooth movement of those attending and pedestrians.

It is not entirely clear why Mr Trump chose to campaign in New York, a largely Democratic state where he is not likely to win. FiveThirtyEight's compilation of polls shows Ms Harris ahead with 53.9 per cent of the state's projected vote while Mr Trump holds 39.4 per cent.

There are, however, pockets of Republican voters in some New York City neighbourhoods, in Long Island, in upstate New York counties and in nearby New Jersey.

Patrick, a resident of the Canarsie neighbourhood of Brooklyn, was in line with two family members.

“Everybody's very down right now with what's going on with the price of food and all so this is just an optimism,” he told The National, describing the crowd outside the arena. “Very optimistic, hopeful, you know, to try to see the event that will hopefully see the economy go back to where it was four years ago. That's what we're hoping for.”

Mr Trump is a former New York City resident and a couple of buildings in the city, such as Trump Tower, bear his name – or used to.

“I'm not expecting him to win New York, but it will be something that he will make people realise that, you know, he made a push and an impact on New York and changed their thought process about the future of the country,” Ed said.

Ms Harris has also been campaigning in Republican strongholds, holding a rally in Houston, Texas, on Friday.

Madison Square Garden often hosts musical performances and sporting events in its 20,000-seat space. Former US presidents including Franklin Roosevelt and John F Kennedy have held events at the Garden. But the arena also hosted a far-right, pro-Nazi rally in 1939.

Although the campaign event was announced earlier this month, it comes after Mr Trump was accused last week of expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler by former staff members, and was called a fascist by Ms Harris and President Joe Biden.

Mr Trump could be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Grover Cleveland, who accepted the Democratic Party's nomination at the Garden in 1892, three years after leaving the White House.

Mr Cleveland won the election, making him the first and only US president to serve two non-consecutive terms. Mr Trump could become the second if he wins on November 5.

“Hopefully things will go back to normal and we can have peace between the left and the right – and we can,” Ed said.

“Stop this craziness of calling him all these terrible names and all that … I mean, really, how terrible can he really be?”

On the Middle East

During his speech, Mr Trump reiterated claims that the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 last year would never have happened if he had been in the White House.

Mr Trump continues to try to win over probable Democratic support among Arab and Jewish communities as American voters express frustration over the Biden administration's support for Israel with the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

He made reference to the endorsement he received this weekend by members of Michigan's Muslim community, claiming that he is polling high with the Muslim population.

"And these people, by the way, they're great. They just want peace. They want to have peace. And it's great."

He also said: "Kamala Harris is a train who has destroyed everything in her path to make her president would be a gamble with the lives of millions and millions of people. She would get us into World War Three."

Patrick expressed hope for a Trump administration in which “Americans [are] put first, and not always the globalism coming first”. He described the Middle East conflict as “very sad on both ends”, with “a lot of people suffering”.

He believes that Mr Trump will being bring peace to the region. “I think they would bring on peace. I really do. I think they boot out the terrorists and help the people of Palestine, at the same time making sure that Israel was safe. That's what I think would happen. Seems like common sense to me.”

When Mr Giuliani took the stage at the event, he claimed that Palestinians are taught to kill at two years old.

“They won’t let a Palestinian in Jordan, they won't let a Palestinian in Egypt. And Harris wants to bring them to you,” he told the crowd.

“They may have good people. I’m sorry, I don’t take a risk with people that are taught to kill Americans at two. I'm on the side of Israel, you're on the side of Israel and Donald Trump is on the side of Israel. They're on the side of the terrorists.”

More than 42,800 people have been killed during Israel's military assault in Gaza, local health officials report, after a Hamas-led October 7 attack that Israel's government says killed about 1,200 people last year.

Lebanon's Health Ministry has also reported that more than 2,500 people have been killed in Israel's strikes on the country as it targets Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants.

Ed echoed Patrick's sentiment, pointing to the global role of the US and Mr Trump's “aura” in making decisions as a leader.

“Most sides want peace, maybe not you know the radicals of Hamas … but he will come in from a perspective of strength,” he said.

“He's going to make people have to sit in a room and figure it out.”