Trump backers turn NYC into a sea of red MAGA hats for ‘historic’ rally

Daily News Article   —   Posted on October 28, 2024

(by Zac Anderson, USA Today) NEW YORK – They camped out overnight, packed the subways, turned the skyscraper-enclosed streets into a river of red MAGA [Make America Great Again] hats and paraded cars and trucks laden with Donald Trump flags through the heart of the Big Apple.

The Republican presidential nominee was in town and his “Make America Great Again” supporters were out in force to show that even in the bluest part of one of the bluest states they are a movement to be reckoned with.

Trump’s image blazed on the jumbotrons outside Madison Square Garden with the words “Dream Big Again!” [as] his supporters [lined up for the] rally Sunday at one of the world’s iconic arenas. …..

With a speaker lineup of MAGA celebrities including Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson, Rudy Giuliani, [RFK Jr. and former Democratic National Committee Co-Chair Tulsi Gabbard] the event also served as a bullhorn to bring Trump backers to the polls, with many attendees describing it as the ultimate Trump rally. It was loaded with more entertainment than the typical rally, from slickly produced videos to a comedian, artist and three singers.

“We gather here today in the middle of midtown Manhattan,” said Giuliani, the former mayor of New York and personal lawyer to Trump. “This is the most iconic venue of venues in the United States. This is where a Republican is not supposed to come, which is why Donald Trump came here. There’s no place in America the president shouldn’t be able to come!”

Trump backers flocked to the city early in anticipation.

Mike Zarro, a 28-year-old tow truck driver from Long Island…told USA TODAY he’d set out for Manhattan in the pre-dawn hours to make it to the Trump rally.

…[In the crowd was Philip D’Agostino, a longtime Trump backer from Queens, the borough where Trump grew up. The 64-year-old said it was appropriate for Trump to be speaking at a place bills itself as “the world’s most famous arena.” He said, “It just goes to show you that he has a bigger following of any man that has ever lived.”]

Pennsylvania truck driver Richard Everit, 59, waved a Trump flag…. Everit said he never voted until he cast his first ballot for Trump in 2020. The incumbent Republican president at the time “opened my eyes.” Now, he said he wears Trump gear wherever he goes. His Trump flag, hat and shirt caused Brad James to stop as he walked past.

An immigrant from Jamaica who attends an Ivy League law school, James, 25, said he and his twin brother “came here the right way.” He resents that his family can’t afford to buy steak anymore for their weekend cookouts and believes Trump will tackle inflation.

By Sunday morning, the crowd of Trump supporters around Madison Square Garden had grown to the thousands as they funneled through police barricades down 33rd Avenue to the 19,500-seat arena. [The Garden was filled to capacity with thousands more turned away.]

Zarro, the tow truck driver, took the train from his home in Hampton Bays on Long Island at 5:30 a.m. He wanted to support Trump, but more “to be part of history” by seeing the celebrity former president at a venue known for hosting the biggest celebrities in the world. …

The sea of Trump supporters broke into chants of “USA, USA” as they waited in line in jackets and sweatshirts on a cool, sunny fall day. Vendors sold Trump hats and shirts on every street corner and worked the lines. Trump pins went for $5. Trump hats sold for $10.

Steven Reid said he travels across the country to Trump rallies. He sold 7,000 Trump hats in the last three days, and a few hundred by noon on Sunday. The classic red MAGA hat is his best seller.

The crowd gathered for the Madison Square Garden rally was “more ethnic, more diverse” than the typical Trump rally, Reid said. …

Rallygoers marveled at the mass of red Trump supporters in blue New York, which Trump lost by big margins in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. [In 2020, Biden beat Trump in New York City 76% to 23%, and in 2016 Hillary Clinton won 79% of the vote to Trump’s 18%.] …

Dorothy Purtill, 53, said she sees signs of support for Trump everywhere in her town of Wappingers Falls, New York – flags, vehicle parades, people waving signs on street corners.

“It feels like he has a lot of momentum behind him, and I think he can pull it off,” said Purtill, a legal secretary and mother of six who regularly feeds 12 people for dinner and has struggled with the cost of groceries.

Some [people] weren’t enthused by the [Trump rally], though. They muttered about the crowded streets and visible signs of Trump support everywhere. Passing a t-shirt vendor, one man [made a crude remark].

Along Eighth [Avenue] outside the arena, a woman with bright red hair dragged a cart with a banner saying “welcome to your Nazi rally.” Nearby, another woman with a “Stop Project 2025” headband waved a banner reading “Trump should be in prison on one side” and “Don the felon” on the other. …..

A large media contingent also flocked to the rally, with cameras everywhere on the streets. …

Published at usatoday .com on October 27, 2024. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.