Donald Trump eyes MAGA spectacle for deep-blue New York in final push

The Republican presidential nominee returns to his hometown on Sunday for an event at an iconic venue that has been a magnet for celebrities and the center of some of the nation’s biggest cultural moments – an attempt to command the media spotlight and mobilize supporters about a week before Election Day on Nov. 5.

It’s a sign of Trump’s expectation that persuadable voters remain interested in and entertained by his celebrity, penchant for spectacle and willingness to dispense with conventional wisdom that might otherwise dictate holding a showcase event in a more competitive state.

Trump’s opponent, Kamala Harris, will be making the opposite bet on Tuesday when she delivers an evening address from the Ellipse on the National Mall, the spot where Trump rallied supporters on Jan. 6, 2021.

While Harris is seeking to cast Trump as the embodiment of the nation’s divided politics, senior Trump aide Jason Miller said the Republican would use the celebrated venue to cast himself as a “president for all Americans.”

“Madison Square Garden, that’s the center of the universe,” Miller told reporters this month, saying the former president would produce his “closing frame of the race.”

As the Republican candidate’s supporters stream into deep-blue Manhattan, city officials and law enforcement are bracing for the possibility of protests and adding security. New York Mayor Eric Adams said Saturday that “those engaging in political battles need to take down the temperature.”

Big Ticket

Trump’s campaign is promising supporters a spectacle with appearances including television host Tucker Carlson, Trump running mate Senator JD Vance and former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Elon Musk, who has deployed his wealth and influence to back Trump, has promised to attend. Top House Republican leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson, are also on the guest list.

For her part, Harris has sought to excite supporters with appearances by stars such as Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen. She has also been campaigning with former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, still among her party’s most popular figures.

Trump’s 5 p.m. rally, in a city that helped make him a cultural icon, seeks to mark a moment after a turbulent four-year stretch that included legal challenges, becoming the first former US president to be convicted of a felony and, more recently, two assassination attempts.

Energizing Voters

Both candidates have been criss-crossing battlegrounds to drum up enthusiasm among supporters and get them to the polls. With early voting underway in key states, the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll found Trump and Harris statistically tied among likely voters in seven swing states expected to determine who will win the presidency.

“I would think that the week before your election, you’d be in swing states, not New York City,” said Christina Greer, a Fordham University political science professor.

Yet the distinctive setting offers a stage to help Trump amplify his message beyond his base, including undecided voters and those not attuned to the presidential race.

The rally will “be very clippable for social media” and “reach national audiences, especially young voters in battleground states,” said Rachel Janfaza, a political consultant and author of a newsletter on Gen Z politics.

Storied Venue

Madison Square Garden’s famous moments range from rock concerts and sports events to papal visits, Marilyn Monroe’s birthday song to then President John F. Kennedy in 1962 and the Democratic National Convention where Bill Clinton accepted the presidential nomination in 1992.

In 1939, political conflict erupted around a rally by an American pro-Nazi group. After his 2016 election opponent Hillary Clinton brought up that gathering during a CNN interview, Trump said his event has nothing to do with the 1930s rally.

“This is called Make America Great Again — that’s all it’s called,” he said on the campaign trail in Michigan.