MAGA faithful swarm New York City for Trump rally with Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson

NEW YORK — They camped out overnight, filled the subway, turned streets lined with skyscrapers into a river of red MAGA hats and paraded cars and trucks laden with Donald Trump flags. heart of the Big Apple.

Republican presidential candidate was in town and its Make America Great Again supporters gathered to show that even in the bluest part of one of the bluest states, this is a movement to be reckoned with.

Trump’s image flashed on the jumbotrons outside Madison Square Garden with the caption “Dream Big Again!” and his supporters dreamed of Trump back in the White House, who was pushed to the finish line rally on Sunday in one of the iconic arenas in the world.

“Good, bad, whatever, it’s a historical event and there’s a lot to witness,” said Mike Zarro, a 28-year-old tow truck driver from Long Island who told USA TODAY he drove into Manhattan in the wee hours to do so on Trump rally.

Madison Square Garden has played host to the world’s biggest celebrities, sports figures and musicians for decades, radio show host Sid Rosenberg noted as he warmed up the crowd, calling it “a building made of champions and all-time greats” before anointing it. Trump is “the greatest champion of all.”

Trump’s rally in deep blue New York nine days before the Nov. 5 election left some political pundits scratching their heads, wondering why he was taking time away from swing states. But by shrouding the former president in the aura of an iconic arena and creating a raucous spectacle in the nation’s media capital, the Republican campaign hoped to create a moment that would reverberate across the country and cut through the noise in close race for the White House.

Featuring MAGA celebrity speakers including Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson And Rudy GiulianiThe event also served as a rallying cry to bring Trump supporters to the polls, with many participants calling it the ultimate Trump rally. It featured more entertainment than a typical rally, from beautifully shot videos to performances by a comedian, an artist and three singers.

“We are gathering here today in midtown Manhattan,” said Giuliani, the former mayor of New York and Trump’s personal lawyer. “This is the most iconic event venue in the United States. This is where a Republican is not supposed to come, so Donald Trump came here. There is no place in America where the President cannot come!”

Trump supporters gathered in the city in anticipation of the event.

North Carolina retiree Bill Robinson, 65, said he has attended 53 Trump rallies since 2015. As for Trump at Madison Square Garden, Robinson said he would be the “grandfather of them all” as he set up camp Saturday afternoon outside the arena and stadium. the first person in a line that will stretch across an entire city block by the next morning.

“Fifty percent of the rally is Trump, the rest is hanging around like-minded people,” Robinson said.

Near Robinson, Pennsylvania truck driver Richard Everitt, 59, waved a Trump flag and traded fist bumps with passersby who offered words of support for the former president.

Everitt said he had never voted until he cast his first vote for Trump in 2020. The Republican incumbent at the time “opened my eyes.” Now he said he wears Trump clothing wherever he goes.

His Trump flag, hat and shirt made Brad James stop as he walked by.

A Jamaican immigrant attending Ivy League law school, James, 25, said he and his twin brother “came here the right way.” He’s angry that his family can no longer afford steak for weekend dinners and believes Trump can handle inflation.

By Sunday morning, the crowd of Trump supporters around Madison Square Garden had grown into the thousands, marching through police barricades along 33rd Avenue to the 19,500-seat arena.

Zarro, a tow truck driver, took the train from his home in Hampton Bays, Long Island, at 5:30 a.m. He wanted to support Trump, but more to “be a part of history” by seeing the famous former president in a place known for hosting the world’s biggest celebrities.

Wearing a red MAGA hat, Zarro said he supports abortion rights and does not oppose some gun restrictions. His support for Trump has less to do with his policies and more to do with the fact that he views Trump as someone who “speaks his mind” and whom he views as less beholden to special interests.

A sea of Trump supporters broke out into chants of “USA, USA” as they stood in line in jackets and sweatshirts on a cool, sunny fall day. Vendors sold Trump hats and shirts on every corner and worked in lines. Trump pins cost $5. Trump hats sold for $10.

Stephen Reed said he travels all over the country to Trump rallies. He had sold 7,000 Trump caps in the last three days and several hundred by Sunday afternoon. The classic red MAGA hat is his best seller.

The crowd gathered for the Madison Square Garden rally was “more ethnic and diverse” than at a typical Trump rally, Reed said.

A man stopped and bought an “I Was There” pin with a picture of Trump, the date of the rally and the name of the venue. “This is history,” he said.

Protesters marveled at the mass of red Trump supporters in blue New York, which Trump lost by wide margins in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

“This is amazing,” said Pennsylvania resident Ryan O’Donnell, 39, looking out over the crowd. “A lot of people support him. This is more of what can be called the silent majority.”

Dorothy Purtill, 53, said she sees signs of support for Trump everywhere in her town of Wappingers Falls, New York: flags, parades of vehicles, people waving signs on street corners.

“It feels like there’s a lot of momentum behind him and I think he can pull it off,” said Purtill, a legal secretary and mother of six who regularly feeds 12 people dinner and struggles with the cost of groceries.

However, some New Yorkers weren’t thrilled about the MAGA invasion. They whispered about the crowded streets and visible signs of Trump support everywhere. Walking past a T-shirt vendor, one man said he would buy a Trump shirt if he needed something to wipe his butt with.

Along Eighth Street near the arena, a woman with bright red hair pulled a cart with a banner that read, “Welcome to your Nazi rally.” Nearby, another woman wearing a “Stop Project 2025” headband waved a sign that read, “Trump should be in jail on one side” and “Criminal Don” on the other.

Some Trump critics even made their way into the rally. Marty Nagel, a lawyer who lives on the south shore of Long Island, is not a Trump fan, but he wore a red MAGA hat to the rally to blend in with the crowd. He wanted to personally witness this scene.

“I’m concerned about how the legal system will handle a Trump win or defeat, and I’m here to bear witness to that,” Nagel said.

The rally was also attended by a large number of media representatives, and there were cameras everywhere on the streets. New York is also an entertainment mecca. Entertainer Robert Smigel entertained the crowd with his puppet creation, “Triumph the Insulting Dog Comedian.”

A man in a white MAGA cap opened an interview at Triumph and asked if he would attend the rally. Triumph said no. He was told that “they already have too many puppets.”