Former President Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden MAGA rally Sunday touched off a firestorm of controversy and condemnation because of a series of crude, racist and misogynistic remarks by some of the speakers.
The event was supposed to be an attention-grabbing opportunity for the Republican nominee to deliver an appealing closing message to voters — a message that included a host of superlative-laden Trumpian promises, including a pledge to usher in “the four greatest years in the history of our country,” and repeated attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I’m here today with a message of hope for all Americans,” Trump said. “With your vote in this election, I will end inflation, I will stop the invasion of criminals coming into our country and we will bring back the American dream.”
But Trump’s remarks — and a couple of fiscal plans announced during the rally — were largely overshadowed by the insults and attacks lobbed by many of the speakers who took the stage before him. A friend of Trump’s called Harris “the Antichrist” and “the devil.” Another speaker warned that Harris “and her pimp handlers will destroy our country.” Former Trump White House aide Stephen Miller declared that “America is for Americans and Americans only.” And comic Tony Hinchcliffe sparked perhaps the strongest backlash by calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” among other insults aimed at Latinos, Jews and Black people.
That line quickly drew fierce criticism, including from some Republican officials. Puerto Rican megastar Bad Bunny responded by publicly throwing his support behind Harris, sharing a video of her to his 45 million Instagram followers. And the Harris campaign quickly released an ad Monday highlighting the “garbage” line and Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria.
The Trump campaign issued a statement distancing the candidate from the comic. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a statement. But the damage could be costly; there are nearly 500,000 Puerto Ricans living in Pennsylvania.
President Joe Biden on Monday called the Trump rally “simply embarrassing” and said it reinforces why this election is so important.
Trump floats a new tax break: As they have for much of Trump’s campaign, Sunday’s insults and attacks drew attention away from policy matters. Trump did, however, offer a new economic proposal to his list of proposed tax breaks, which includes an end to taxation of tips, Social Security benefits and overtime pay.
“I’m announcing a new policy today that I will support a tax credit for family caregivers who take care of a parent or a loved one,” Trump said. “It’s about time that they were recognized, right? They add so much to our country and are never spoken of, ever, ever, ever, but they’re going to be spoken of now.”