Exclusive Photographs of Trumps’ MSG Rally Illustrate an Eventful Campaign Appearance

Our Reporters Captured the Scene at MSG

Jack Tergesen and Annarose Grizzle

November 6, 2024

As Trump took the stage nearly two hours behind schedule, he was introduced by his wife Melania. Her appearance was unexpected, as she has been largely absent from campaign appearances. Melania has also recently disagreed with her husband on abortion policy, heightening the appearance of a struggling marriage. She greeted him at the podium with kisses, to a live performance of Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American” with the words “Trump Will Fix It” above their heads. Since the rally and the election, Melania has declined to meet with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. Additionally, she has announced her plan to be fairly absent from the White House over the next four years. Both of these decisions depict her as a less traditional first lady.

On Oct. 27, 2024, we attended former President, and now President-Elect, Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden in Midtown, Manhattan to report on the experience. This historic event was not only the first time a Republican presidential candidate has campaigned in New York City since Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, but it was also one of Trump’s largest rallies of this election cycle.

The speakers list included the now vice-president-elect JD Vance, billionaire entrepreneur (and new Head of the private Department of Government Efficiency) Elon Musk, former presidential candidate (and now appointee to the Department of Health and Human Services) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, among many others.

Prior to the event, many journalists and Democratic politicians, such as Hillary Clinton, drew connections between Trump’s rally and the infamous 1939 Nazi Rally in Madison Square Garden. The comparison may have been overstated, but several speakers did make misogynistic and racist comments on stage.

While invited entertainers like wrestler Hulk Hogan made few statements, instead flexing and brandishing an American flag, the headline moments from the six-hour event focused on several speakers’ offensive comments on stage. Most notable was warm-up act comedian Tony Hinchcliffe who sparked controversy by joking about Puerto Rico being a “floating island of trash.”

Choosing to end his campaign in an indisputably blue-leaning city and state was a controversial and unprecedented decision.

Throughout Trump’s campaign, he remained highly confident in his ability to “win big” and gain ground in Democrat-dominated regions. In September of 2024, Donald Trump visited Long Island for a major MAGA Rally and claimed that he would win New York in the presidential election.

When we attended the rally at MSG, such a result still seemed highly improbable to us, given New York’s past voting trends and seemingly decisive pre-election polling. Past elections show that in 2020, President Joe Biden won the state by over 23 points, and the most recent year that New York voted Republican in a presidential election was 1984. The post-election data, however, reveals that Trump was more than justified in his decision to campaign here.

He gained tremendous support in the state of New York, the surrounding Tri-State area, and throughout the rest of the nation. The former president not only won the Electoral College, sweeping all seven battleground states, but he also sealed the popular vote, which hadn’t been won by a Republican candidate since 2004. In New York City, Trump even won a district in the heart of Manhattan, one of the bluest boroughs in one of the bluest cities in America, becoming the first district in Manhattan to vote red in a decade. Biden won the nearby state of New Jersey in 2020 by over 15 points. In this election, Harris won by a comparatively narrow margin of 5.5%, cutting the Democratic lead by 60%. The results point not necessarily to great change in Republican campaigning, but perhaps to an array of disinformation and a larger failure in the Democratic party to create compelling policies and win over constituents.

Despite how extreme Trump’s speech seemed to us, both the massive crowds waiting hours to hear him speak in the heart of Manhattan and the larger statistical shift in ballots this November reveal that his rhetoric has only become more compelling in the last four years since he ran and lost against Biden. This election result was truly shocking, if not horrifying, to a great deal of Americans as in the last four years alone, Trump has undermined democratic processes by spreading misinformation about election fraud, encouraging a raid on the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, using racist speech referring towards both immigrants and Vice President Harris, and has been convicted on 30 felony counts and held liable for sexual assault and defamation.

In spite of it all, Trump succeeded. We have compiled our experience at one of the most influential events in his 2024 campaign in a photo essay that captures the atmosphere that led to that decisive victory.

About the Contributors

Jack Tergesen, Staff Writer

Jack Tergesen (he/him) is a Staff Writer. Jack decided to join The Survey to strengthen his journalism skills, build connections, interact with students and staff to learn different POVs of situations, and to get more involved with the world of news because he wants to become a meteorologist when older. Jack mainly reads The New York Times, The New York Post, and CNN. In the future, Jack strives to become a meteorologist either on a local network or on The Weather Channel. Ever since elementary school, Jack has been intrigued by the weather and feels strongly about the climate crisis. During Jack's free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends, playing volleyball, going rock-climbing, playing video games, and watching YouTube. One of Jack's favorite series is "The Diary of a Wimpy Kid" because it gives him nostalgia from elementary school and never fails to make him laugh and smile.

Annarose Grizzle, Staff Writer

Annarose Grizzle (she/her) is a Staff Writer. Annarose has a passion for politics, social justice, and getting the news to the people. She is an avid reader and enjoys the depth of interests one can explore through journalism. Research and connection with people through interviews is what made Annarose fall in love with journalism. The Survey is full of talented writers and editors who are incredible teachers. She is looking forward to working with the Hard News team this year. Annarose reads The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NPR. In the future, Annarose wants to pursue research, whether in a STEM or English field. In her free time, Annarose loves to read, cook, play guitar, watch movies, and spend time with friends. Annarose's favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird.