Democrats welcome Trump to NY, just maybe not MSG

President Donald Trump is planning his third campaign rally in New York this cycle, this time at Madison Square Garden. Although Democrats are condemning the Garden for hosting him, they are also encouraging him to spend as much time as he wants in New York ahead of the election, reasoning that it will keep him from campaigning in swing districts.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, whose district includes Madison Square Garden, was quick to call on MSG management to cancel the Oct. 27 rally. He also likened the event to an infamous pro-Nazi rally that took place at the same location roughly 85 years ago. “Allowing Trump to hold an event at MSG is equivalent to the infamous Nazis rally at Madison Square Garden on February 20, 1939,” Hoylman-Sigal wrote on X. 

The Nazi comparison drew swift condemnation from Republicans. “Referring to a peaceful rally for the leading candidate for President of the United States as a ‘Nazi Rally’  is not only a disgusting comparison, it is a gross escalation of the dangerous rhetoric in the wake of two direct attempts on President Donald Trump’s life,” state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt said in a statement. Rep. Elise Stefanik wrote in a post on X that Democrats need to “immediately denounce this dangerous and unhinged rhetoric from this radical Leftist who has also been inexcusably silent when it comes to condemning antisemitism.” (Hoylman-Sigal, who is Jewish, has regularly condemned antisemitism and sponsored legislation expanding the list of offenses eligible for hate crime charges, including anti-Jewish hate.)

Despite the backlash, Hoylman-Sigal stood by his comments. “One can't help but think a candidate who spews hatred and divisiveness at Madison Square Garden harkens back to 1939 when American brown shirts did something that was not dissimilar,” he told City & State. “That said, if Trump wants to spend every penny in New York, (it’s) probably good for Democrats.”

That sentiment was shared by state Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, who said that Trump is welcome to spend as much time as he wants in New York. “I wish he would spend every day from now until November 5 in New York City, because he's not getting any votes here, and he can waste all the time here that he wants,” Gianaris told reporters on Wednesday. “Because it means he's not spending time where the battleground actually is.” It echoed a comment from state Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs when Trump held a rally on Long Island last month, when he welcomed the former president to spend all his resources in New York instead of elsewhere. 

Assembly Member Tony Simone similarly welcomed Trump to spend precious time before the election in New York – just not at the stadium within his district. “I'm calling upon Madison Square Garden, along with my colleagues, to not allow him to have his hateful rally in our great state,” Simone told reporters. He suggested Trump should just “hide out” in his “ivory tower” instead of holding a rally at the Garden. Simone also seconded Hoylman-Sigal’s Nazi comparison. “We know every rally is a hate rally…So it could be likened to a hateful Nazi rally,” he told City & State.

Speaking to reporters following an unrelated press conference in Manhattan, Hochul said she has confidence in the New York City Police Department to keep both New Yorkers and the former president safe during his visit. She did not indicate that she will try to pressure Madison Square Garden to cancel the event. “No one can stop anyone from having a rally, this is America… so people can have rallies and it’s their right to gather,” Hochul told reporters. “And I feel very confident in the police to handle it.”