The crowd waiting to get into Madison Square Garden to hear former president Trump speak on Sunday defied my wildest imagination.
I showed up just after noon — over five hours before Trump was scheduled to take the stage — for a special press check-in. This VIP line was separate from the general-admission line, but both were completely mobbed. The former stretched at least three blocks, with overwhelmed NYPD officers directing traffic anywhere possible.
A friend of mine volunteering at the event said staff were expecting 100,000 people by 6 a.m. Maximum capacity for MSG is just about 20,000. With only a few hours left to go before Trump’s grand finale, the venue is well over three-quarters full.
Safe to say, most of the Trump supporters outside, from all New York boroughs and beyond, won’t be getting in. Just from scanning the crowd outside and inside, a diverse range of voters, including Orthodox Jews, Gen Z, and black men are represented.
This rally is supposed to have a particularly star-studded roster, including Elon Musk, Dana White, and even Rogan-tangential comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.
“I sleep well at night knowing who I’m voting for,” Hinchcliffe said on stage. “When I lay down and my head hits My Pillow-it’s a fantastic pillow by the way.”
Throughout this race, Trump has made stops in his home state many times. As for why he’s returned to the belly of the beast for the last hurrah, rumored to be his last rally ever, he might be making a play to increase the popular vote, even if New York is all but guaranteed Harris territory. Trump is also making a statement by returning to the city where he was indicted just a few short months ago.
While the rally is unlikely to make a dent in deep-blue New York City, Trump’s campaign is proudly displaying “New York is Trump country” all over the arena.
For a moment, deep-blue Manhattan has turned red.
