US presidential candidate Donald Trump held a campaign rally last night at New York's Madison Square Garden, which began with a series of vulgar and racist comments from allies of the former president. reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Trump, who has been a New York celebrity for decades, had hoped to use the event at the iconic venue known for Knicks basketball games. and Billy Joel concerts to make his closing argument against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, even though New York state last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 1984.
"I would like to start by asking you a very simple question. Are you better off now than you were four years ago?'' Trump began his speech. "No!", the people in the hall answered him with cheers.
He then vowed that if he won the November 5 election, he would stop the "invasion of criminals coming into our country" and called Harris "a man of very low IQ.
The campaign event featured at least 20 different speakers, from former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, as well as Trump's sons Eric and Don Jr.
Some of the speakers used racist and misogynistic language to fire up the crowd.
Rudy Giuliani, the one-time mayor of New York and Trump's former personal attorney, said Harris was "on the side of the terrorists" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and wants to bring Palestinians to the US.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe used crude language when he joked that Hispanics "like to make babies" and called the Caribbean US territory of Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage".
Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin posted a clip with these comments on "Instagram" and wrote under it in Spanish: "This is what they think of us".
Although Puerto Ricans are US citizens, residents of the island are not allowed to vote in US elections, according to Reuters. However, millions of Puerto Ricans who have moved to the US mainland can fully participate in the election, and many of them have settled in the state of Pennsylvania, which is expected to be contested.
Harris visited a Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania last night to encourage people to vote. She posted a video on social media promising to "invest in the future of Puerto Rico" as president.
Trump's opponent from the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton, accused him of "re-creating" a pro-Nazi rally that took place at "Madison Square Garden" in 1939 on the eve of World War II.
Trump's critics have long accused him of empowering white supremacists with his inhumane and racist rhetoric.
Trump rejected the 1930s comparison. “"It's called 'Making America Great Again,' that's all," he said Friday.
"This is Donald Trump's house today," wrestler Hulk Hogan said in his speech at the event in New York last night, and dismissed accusations that Trump is a fascist: "I don't see any Nazis here," he declared.
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American billionaire Elon Musk, who is supporting Trump's re-election bid through his X social media platform, his vast wealth and cash donations, was greeted on stage with chants of "Elon". "This is the kind of positive energy that is characteristic of America,", Musk said.
The billionaire whom Trump said he would appoint to head a new commission on government efficiency said the federal budget could be cut by "at least" two trillion dollars. In fiscal year 2024, which ended on September 30, the US government's federal spending reached $6.75 trillion.
The hall erupted into applause for Trump's tough rhetoric on migrants. He promised to ban cities of sanctuary and invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport immigrants with criminal records.
Trump also announced his new policy to provide tax breaks for caregivers who are "taking care of a parent or loved one".
According to polls, neither candidate has a lead among voters in the states that will determine the outcome of the election. Election day is just over a week away. More than 38 million votes have already been cast.