Former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Madison Square Garden (MSG) on Sunday played out as a greatest hits of allies and campaign promises as the former president prepared the final push ahead of next week’s election.
Speaking at 7:15 p.m. EDT, Trump went through his usual slate of campaign wishes, such as “defeating” inflation and making America “affordable” through a raft of tax cuts, including no tax on tips, overtime or social security benefits.
Trump announced a new policy plan to provide tax credit for caregivers who attend to a family or loved one, saying such individuals have been “ignored for far too long.”
The former president has previously pledged to end taxes on everything from tips to Social Security and overtime pay if he’s elected again. However, Trump has yet to explain how he would fund those ideas and avoid creating a huge budget shortfall.
He also claimed that he was leading in all swing states. According to polling aggregates on election website FiveThirtyEight, Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are statistically tied in the key battleground states of Wisconsin, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Michigan, while Trump holds a slender lead of 1.4 points in North Carolina, 1.6 points in Georgia and 2 points in Arizona.
Trump later repeated debunked claims that the Federal Emergency Managment Agency (FEMA) had run out of money to help Americans who suffered great losses in the recent hurricanes that devasted Southeastern states like North Carolina and Florida.
Newsweek contacted Trump’s campaign via email on Sunday for comment.
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The preamble to Trump’s appearance featured a litany of guests including the usual appearances of family and supporters such as Elon Musk and Dr. Phil, as well as a rare appearance by former First Lady Melania Trump.
Melania’s speech touched on the strength of Trump supporters, calling them “the heartbeat of this great metropolis” while pointing out about how tough it is to live in the Big Apple.
The former First Lady also insisted that crime was on the rise but praised the city for producing leaders who “changed the world” before claiming that New York City and America needed “it’s magic back.”
Trump promoted his wife’s new book, joking that he was “nervous” when she released it but proudly touted that the book had hit the top of The New York Times best seller list.
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Melania spoke after Musk, who declared that Trump supporters needed to “sweep” swing states and even “states that aren’t swing states.” He spoke briefly, as did most of the other guests who stood at the podium at the heart of the famous arena.
Donald Trump Jr. also took the stage to talk about his father “built” New York City, having “changed the skyline” and “fixed what bureaucrats couldn’t.” He also claimed that inflation was so bad that in 2023 on the way back from a fishing trip, he paid $48 to buy food from McDonald’s with his children, aged 10 and 14.
Republican Vice President nominee Sen. JD Vance, spoke earlier in the evening, during which he once again raised doubts as to whether or not Harris worked at McDonald’s, as she has discussed numerous times throughout her campaign.