Trump diverted from swing state visits for a hometown rally that drew an estimated 25,000.
NEW YORK CITY—With just nine days to go before the Nov. 5 presidential election, former President Donald Trump is diverting from swing state visits for a hometown rally at Madison Square Garden in the heart of Manhattan.
Bill Robinson, 65, of Asheville, North Carolina, arrived two days beforehand to claim the first spot in line for the sold-out event. Organizers say the venue can accommodate 25,000 attendees. Robinson said he expected it to be “the granddaddy of all Trump rallies.”
“This is the last big push before the election. This is the last time Trump will make his case with an absolute all-star group behind it,” he told The Epoch Times, while he and other supporters sat in folding chairs outside the venue on Oct. 26.
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, remain in a statistical tie in the RealClearPolitics average of election polls, although Trump has been trending upward in recent weeks.
Trump has long talked about wanting to hold a rally at the the venue dubbed “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” raising the idea in interviews and private conversations.
“It’s the New York, but it’s also, you know, it’s MSG, it’s Madison Square Garden,” Trump recently told FOX News Radio’s “The Brian Kilmeade Show. “Guys like you and I, that means a lot, those words. Madison Square Garden, right? Don’t you think so? … It’s a very big stop.”
The venue also has a history in politics, hosting events with Dwight Eisenhower and Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1962, John F. Kennedy Jr. held a birthday celebration at the stadium where Marilyn Monroe famously sang “Happy Birthday to You, Mr. President.”
Beyond the national spotlight and the appeal of appearing on one of the world’s most famous stages, Republicans say the rally will also help down-ballot candidates.
“Madison Square Garden is the center of the universe,“ said Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller, noting the venue’s storied history hosting events including the 1971 “Fight of the Century.” The rally intends to showcase “the historic political movement that President Trump has built in the final days of the campaign,” the Trump campaign said.
By Janice Hisle
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