Media erupts over Trump MSG rally, but history of arena and firsthand accounts belie narrative

Much of nan media unloaded connected erstwhile President Trump's historical Sunday nighttime rally astatine Madison Square Garden successful New York City, claiming it mirrored a Nazi rally astatine nan celebrated venue successful nan 1930s contempt an abundance of Jewish attendees and Israeli flags.

Thousands of Trump supporters packed nan "World’s Most Famous Arena" to perceive remarks by high-profile speakers, including an reside from erstwhile first woman Melania Trump, earlier nan erstwhile president took nan stage. But alternatively of watching a Republican nominee drafting a monolithic crowd successful nan mediate of a bluish metropolis only 9 days earlier nan election, wide pundits followed Vice President Kamala Harris’ playbook of labeling Trump a fascist and comparing him to Adolf Hitler. 

An MSNBC impermanent said Trump’s squad was cultivating "overt Nazi parallels," "Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski called it a "weird, White nationalists Nazi-type rally," ABC’s Jonathan Karl called it "an incredibly acheronian event" and nan New York Times called nan rally a "carnival of grievances, misogyny and racism." The Washington Post's Philip Bump wrote a column arguing nan rally mirrored nan 1939 pro-Hitler rally astatine nan Garden.

But group who attended person suggested Nazi rallies don’t typically person Jewish, Black and Hindu speakers aliases pro-Israel messaging. 

TRUMP, POWERHOUSE GUESTS ROCK PACKED MSG WITH HISTORIC RALLY

Former President Trump held a historical Sunday nighttime rally astatine Madison Square Garden successful New York City. (Getty Images)

"I was covering that rally and location was zero dislike successful nan building. It was… For deficiency of a amended word… Joyful," Fox News contributor Joe Concha posted connected X. 

Attendee Debra Lea went viral aft nan rally erstwhile she posted a video defending it connected societal media.

"I’m a Jewish, New York Republican and I person seen nan mainstream media calling this a ‘Nazi rally,’ and that couldn’t beryllium further from nan truth. There were truthful galore Jews there, conscionable for illustration myself. There were Israeli flags and astir every, azygous speaker talked astir their committedness to upholding nan narration betwixt U.S. and Israel," Lea said. 

"Not to mention each nan Latino for Trump, Gays for Trump and astir each different group that would person ne'er been allowed successful if this were really a nazi rally," she continued. "Kamala Harris could virtually bring Adolf Hitler connected her shape and nan mainstream media still wouldn’t telephone it a Nazi rally… their lies are futile." 

Among nan Jewish group successful attendance was Holocaust subsister Jerry Wartski, an Auschwitz subsister who called Trump being compared to Hitler the "worst thing" he's heard successful 75 years surviving successful nan United States. 

MSNBC put a spotlight connected nan venue being wherever a pro-Nazi rally occurred successful 1939, moreover though MSG has been rebuilt respective times and nan existent summation wasn’t moreover completed until 1969. Facts didn’t extremity nan wide web from declaring Trump’s arena was "particularly chilling" because it was held successful nan aforesaid arena that erstwhile hosted supporters of "a different fascist leader, Adolf Hitler."

MSNBC moreover juxtaposed footage of nan 1939 Nazi rally pinch Trump’s 2024 event. 

Retired NYPD Inspector Paul Mauro called it "ridiculous" to equate Trump's rally pinch what went connected astatine MSG successful 1939.

"Does nan truth that you played nan arena someway make you Nazi adjacent? And fto maine show you, for a Nazi rally location were an atrocious batch of Israeli flags successful that building," Mauro said Monday connected "America's Newsroom."

TRUMP AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: ICONIC VENUE HAS PLAYED HOST TO MANY CAMPAIGN GATHERINGS NEAR ELECTION DAY

MSG is nan longtime location of nan NBA's New York Knicks and NHL's New York Rangers, 2 of nan astir storied franchises successful their respective sports. 

The Garden has hosted 4 Democratic National Conventions, was nan tract of Marilyn Monroe’s historical day capacity to President John F. Kennedy successful 1962, and hosted high-profile visits from Pope John Paul II in 1979 and Pope Francis successful 2015. It has besides hosted U.S.O. events pinch Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, 1971’s "Fight of nan Century" betwixt Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier and galore kindness events.

Music fable Billy Joel had a years-long residency astatine MSG, it was nan tract of nan inaugural WrestleMania successful 1985 and was nan longtime New York location to nan Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. 

Michael Jackson, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Phish, Jay Z, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, nan Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Madonna, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, The Who, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, The Grateful Dead, The Who, Taylor Swift and Luke Bryan person each played there, too. 

"These amateur historians discount every concert and Knicks crippled and Democrat normal truthful they tin conscionable smear Trump and nan Republicans pinch a Nazi brush," NewsBusters executive editor Tim Graham told Fox News Digital. "They ideate that revering America's founding and talk of putting America first is racist, supporting wide deportation is racist, and being reliable connected crime is racist. Almost everything conservatives favour is considered adjacent crippled for accusations of racism."

"These aforesaid group person a cattle erstwhile Trump calls Kamala Harris a ‘Marxist’ aliases a ‘communist,’" Graham continued. "The ‘independent fact-checkers’ instrumentality up for Democrats, but person zero problem pinch dropping nan F-word [fascist] connected nan Republicans."

LAURA INGRAHAM: TRUMP'S MSG RALLY ECHOES POPULISM OF FDR, REAGAN

Former US President and Republican statesmanlike campaigner Donald Trump speaks during a run rally astatine Madison Square Garden successful New York, October 27, 2024. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Stop Antisemitism laminitis and executive head Liora Rez besides blasted nan Hitler comparisons.

"Equating either statesmanlike nominee—or their supporters—to nan Nazi authorities is simply a vulnerable trivialization of nan existent horrors committed by Hitler. It dishonors nan millions who were murdered and nan brave who fought to extremity his tyranny," Rez told Fox News Digital. 

"Save nan condemnation for existent Nazis," Rez continued. "Associating a modern-day rally astatine Madison Square Garden pinch a Nazi arena from astir a period agone is simply a reckless distortion of history."

Conservative columnist Dustin Grage mocked nan proposal by sharing images of historical MSG events. 

Other notable speakers astatine Trump's rally included House Speaker Mike Johnson, pro wrestling fable Hulk Hogan, tech billionaire Elon Musk, erstwhile statesmanlike campaigner Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's moving mate Sen. JD Vance and TV characteristic Dr. Phil McGraw. 

Trump's reside included a attraction connected the economy and spiraling inflation and "bringing backmost nan American dream," including vowing to nan assemblage that he will trim their power costs successful half by January 2026 if he's re-elected. He besides pledged that if he wins nan predetermination adjacent week, he will little costs for consumers arsenic good arsenic extremity taxes connected tips, overtime and Social Security benefits. 

Trump added that nether his leadership, nan Republican Party has go nan "party of inclusion."

"Jews and Muslims and Catholics and Evangelicals and Mormons, and they're each joining our origin successful ample numbers, larger than anyone has ever seen successful this state before, larger than they've ever seen successful immoderate country," he said.

Madison Square Garden is nan longtime location of nan New York Knicks and New York Rangers, 2 of nan astir storied franchise successful their respective sports.  (Getty Images )

New York City Council Minority Whip Inna Vernikov attended nan rally and said it was "so contrary to immoderate garbage MSNBC is trying to waste you."

"Our families were slaughtered for illustration sheep during nan Holocaust. The rally I went to was NO NAZI RALLY. It was an arena filled to nan brim pinch emotion for each Americans," Vernikov wrote. 

"The tone of unity successful nan room was truthful palpable, and group of each races, religions, and walks of life came together successful happy anticipation of a amended future. Black aliases Hispanic, Jew, Muslim aliases Christian, it didn’t matter," Vernikov continued. "We each had a spot location because we each person a communal purpose: we each want to make this state a amended spot to unrecorded in, and bring backmost prosperity and American pride."

Former White House property caput Ari Fleischer, whose relatives perished during nan Holocaust, said he does not request to beryllium told what nan Nazis are really astir connected "The Ingraham Angle" Monday.

"Most of my family perished successful nan Holocaust. I person very fewer relatives left. That's who nan Nazis are," Fleischer, a first procreation American whose mother fled nan Nazis successful 1939, said. "I don't request nan Democrats to punctual maine of that by making these things up, by making our American politics, that nan group who mightiness hit them, nan group they don't for illustration because of home governmental issues, are fascists, are Nazis." 

He said Democrats making Nazi comparisons their closing statement successful nan predetermination is nan "dumbest" point they could do politically. 

"Morally, it's reprehensible for anybody to invoke Adolf Hitler successful American governmental life against personification for illustration Donald Trump, who is nan principle of democracy. He won a contested primary. He whitethorn triumph a contested statesmanlike election. This is simply a bad point that nan Democrats are doing. And I'm present to personally show you I cull it. It's historically wrong. It's morally wrong. It's factually wrong. It's incorrect successful each consciousness of nan word," he added.

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