As he strode into Madison Square Garden on Sunday night, the former president paused, soaking up the wild applause of 20,000 chanting, whooping groupies.
Donald Trump, arguably the world’s greatest showman, had taken his campaign to the world’s greatest stage – ironically, in a city he believes wants to destroy him – to make his final bid for the presidency.
Of the metropolis where he still faces sentencing over 34 felony convictions in the Stormy Daniels hush money case, the real estate mogul declared: ‘I’m back in the city I love.’
His eldest son Donald Jr had earlier stamped home that theme to the roaring MAGA hordes in more spectacular fashion: ‘The King of New York is back to reclaim the city that he built.’
Certainly, inside and outside the arena, that feeling was being reciprocated.
Streets teemed with the tens of thousands of Trump supporters. And those were the ones who didn’t make it into the packed 19,700-seater arena.
All manner of MAGA fans had journeyed from far and wide to reach the Big Apple. There were ‘Jesus for Trump’ supporters, ‘Jews for Trump’ and even a group of ‘Japanese for Trump’.
Waiting in line, 62-year-old Amy Lee told me she had fled communist Vietnam in 1975 and her husband Covan had been caught 18 times trying to escape before finally joining her in the United States.
This was Lee’s 60th Trump rally and the couple had traveled from San Diego, California. ‘We don’t take freedom for granted,’ she said. ‘We don’t want to lose this country. There’s no other place to flee to.’
Sue Caddoo, 58, from Putnam County in upstate New York, gushed: ‘Trump is taking down the deep state and so many people are oblivious that there even is a deep state.’
Inside The Garden, in midtown Manhattan, the scene of so much combative history, controversy, music, sporting joy and despair – Trump’s supporters got what they came for… eventually. One needs patience and stamina for a Trump rally.
The five-hour show was a carefully engineered and controlled spectacle, buffeting the crowd between showbiz razzmatazz and speakers who felt like warm-up acts for the warm-up acts.
There were shouty and foul-mouthed exclamations, and a comedian who delivered an astonishing insult to the 3.2 million people of Puerto Rico.
The remarks brought fury from many quarters, including Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin and a rare rebuke from Team Trump, which is often so hesitant to admit its mistakes.
The man himself finally emerged just before 7:15pm – over two hours late and introduced by his wife Melania, who stunned the auditorium with a surprise appearance, shimmering on stage in a zebra pattern dress.
It was the first campaign rally that the former First Lady has appeared at this year – and while she attended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July, she did not speak then.
‘Let us charge together with a shared vision that builds on American greatness,’ Melania told the cheering thousands. ‘Let’s seize this moment and create a country for tomorrow — the future that we deserve.’
‘New York City and America need their magic back,’ she smiled and said simply: ‘And now…’
He was on.
Walking up to Melania to the sound of Lee Greenwood’s God Bless The USA, the pair kissed each other three times on the cheek and lingered in a long hug.
This was not a moment to be rushed.
And though the former president provided a tighter performance devoid of the verbal wanderings that have afflicted many of his recent speeches, within 50 minutes, several thousand had headed for the exits.
Not out of boredom, but perhaps because these supporters had perhaps seen enough of the man they believe can take America in a different direction. We all know the messages by now.
‘This will be America’s new golden age.’
‘Kamala, you’re fired!’
‘We will make America affordable again.’
‘The United States is an occupied country… nine days from now will be liberation day.’
After an hour and 20 minutes, it was a wrap. Trump and Melania together again on stage in The Garden. A male singer belting out Frank Sinatra’s ‘New York, New York’.
Trump certainly came, he saw and vowed to conquer the city and state that has not turned red since Ronald Reagan’s landslide re-election in 1984.
Heather Ptak, 48, dressed in all-red leather said: ‘This is the place for him. This is the place for those who dream and it’s time to dream big again. He’s a fighter. He’s a fighter. He keeps showing up for the people and I love that.’
| Economy
Migrant crisis cost $150B in 2023, forcing some areas to cut police and fire services: report
The eye-watering financial cost of the migrant crisis hit $150 billion last year and is causing devastating consequences for residents of hard-hit cities struggling to cope with the influx, The Post has learned.
Of that figure, calculated by Washington DC-based non-profit Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), $67 billion came from the federal government, but the majority of the burden was shouldered by states and local governments.
Chart showing where FEMA Shelter and Services funds were allocated in fiscal year 2024, which ran from Oct. 1, 2023 until Sept. 30.
Chart showing where FEMA Shelter and Services funds were allocated in fiscal year 2024, which ran from Oct. 1, 2023 until Sept. 30.
That has left huge holes in city budgets, meaning cutbacks for regular US citizens, including:
- Denver City Council has to cut $45 million from its budget, including $8.4m from it Police Department and $2.5m from the Fire Department to pay an estimated $90m bill for migrants.
- New York City is spending $2.3 billion in costs for housing migrants alone in 2023 and 2024, resulting in city agencies having to cut costs by 5%.
- In South Portland, Maine, property taxes have increased to pay for the migrant crisis and the mayor has advised elderly residents to re-mortgage their houses to pay them
- Chicago faces a $1 billion budget gap, partly over migrant services, which it is now scrambling to make up.
FAIR estimates there were at least 15.5 million “illegal alien residents” in the country at the beginning of 2022, with federal funding amounting to $3,187 per migrant per year, an increase of 45% since their last survey in 2017.
Of the federal government’s $67 billion spent in 2023, more than $6.6 billion was earmarked for education and over $25 billion was doled out in medical costs. Federal welfare programs ate up $11.5 billion and law enforcement costs were $23.1 billion, according to the 91-page “The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers 2023” report from FAIR.
They point out that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to migrant spending as state and local expenditure is far higher.
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