NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump staged a crude and racist insult rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday, turning what his campaign had billed as an event at which he would deliver his closing message into an illustration of what repels his critics.

Just over a week before Election Day, speakers called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” called Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris a “devil” and said the woman running to become the first woman and black woman president had started her career. as a prostitute.

“I don’t know if you know this, but there’s literally a floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” said Tony Hinchcliffe, a comedian whose series also included lewd and racist comments about Latinos, Jews and blacks, all key constituencies in the election in just nine days. .

His joke was immediately criticized by Harris’ campaign because it rivaled Trump’s. conquer Puerto Rican communities in Pennsylvania and other swing states. Bad Bunny, superstar of Puerto Rican music Harris endorsed shortly after Hinchcliffe’s appearance.

The usually pugnacious Trump campaign took the rare step of distancing itself from Hinchcliffe. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” senior advisor Danielle Alvarez said in a statement.

But other speakers also made inflammatory remarks. Trump’s childhood friend David Rem called Harris “the Antichrist” and “the devil.” Businessman Grant Cardone told the crowd that Harris “and her pimps would destroy our country.”

The milestone event reflected the former president’s tone throughout his third White House campaign. Although he refrained from doing so on Sunday, Trump often goes after Harris offensive and personal terms himself, in recent weeks questioning her mental stability and intelligence and calling her “lazy,” a racist trope long used against black people.

The event was a surreal spectacle that included former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, television psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, politicians including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Representatives Byron Donalds and Elise Stefanik, as well as an artist who painted a picture. of Trump hugging the Empire State Building.

And that was all before Trump took the stage, more than two hours late.

After being introduced by his wife, Melania Trump, in a rare public appearance, the former president began by asking the same questions he has asked at the start of every recent rally: “Are you in a better situation now that it’s four years ago? The crowd responded with a resounding “No!” » resounding.

“This election is a choice between whether we will experience four more years of gross incompetence and failure, or whether we will embark on the greatest years in our country’s history,” he said.

Trump announced a new tax credit for caregivers

Trump added a new proposal on Sunday to his list of tax cuts aimed at winning over seniors and blue-collar workers, which already includes a promise to end taxes on Social Security benefits, tips and overtime: a tax credit for family caregivers.

This comes after Harris spoke about the “sandwich generation” of adults who care for aging parents while raising their children. Harris has proposed federal funding to cover the costs of home care for older Americans.

Trump also repeated familiar lines on foreign policy and immigration, calling for the death penalty for any migrant who kills a US citizen and saying that on the day he takes office, “the migrant invasion of our country will end.”

As Trump’s remarks wore on an hour later, some of the crowd began to walk out.

Tech mogul Elon Musk, who spoke earlier and introduced Melania Trump, played a significant role in Trump’s campaign closing message. The former president called Musk a “genius” and “special.”

Musk acquiesced to Trump’s recent plan to allow him to lead a government efficiency commission to audit the entire federal government. Several of Musk’s companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, have major government contracts or have relied on U.S. subsidies, and Musk has been criticized after reports that he spoke in private with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Your money is being wasted and the Department of Government Efficiency is going to solve this problem,” Musk said before taking a seat backstage alongside Melania Trump.

Many speakers appeared on stage at the Republican National Convention on Sunday. This time, the same speakers shouted and insulted Democrats more.

Hogan, returning to the venue where he had performed years ago as a professional wrestler, appeared to be returning to character, emerging wearing a giant red, orange and yellow boa and violently waving a large American flag while he posed and danced. He spat on stage during his speech, flexed his muscles several times and told the audience, “Trump is the only man who can fix this country today.” »

Trump allies lash out at Democrats for talking about pro-Nazi rally

Some Democrats, call trump fascist, compared his Sunday event to a pro-Nazi rally at the Garden in February 1939. Several speakers on Sunday criticized Hillary Clinton, the Democrat defeated by Trump eight years ago, for recently declaring that Trump would “reenact” the 1939 event. One of them, the host of radio station Sid Rosenberg, directed insults at Clinton.

“Hey guys, they’re scrambling now and trying to call us Nazis and fascists,” said Alina Habba, one of Trump’s lawyers, who draped a sparkly “MAGA” jacket over the lectern as she spoke. “And you guys know what they claim? It’s very scary. They claim we are going to prosecute them and try to put them in prison. Well, isn’t that rich?

Hogan said in his throaty growl, “I don’t see any stinking Nazis here.” »

Trump has denounced the four criminal charges against him as politically motivated. He has accelerated his denunciations in recent weeks of “enemies within,” singling out his domestic political rivals, and suggesting he would use the military to pursue them. Harris, in turn, referred to Trump as a fascist.

The arena was packed hours before Trump spoke. Outside the arena, the sidewalks were filled with Trump supporters sporting red “Make America Great Again” hats. There was a strong security presence. Streets were blocked and access to Penn Station was restricted.

“It just shows that he has a larger following than any man who has ever lived,” said Philip D’Agostino, a longtime Trump supporter from Queens, the borough where Trump grew up. .

A New Yorker returns home

Trump has a complicated history with where he built his business empire and it has made him a tabloid and reality TV star. His residents indicted him last year on 34 counts of falsifying business records. He was convicted in that case and also found liable in civil court for commercial fraud and sexual abuse.

But Trump has talked about wanting to hold a rally at the venue dubbed “the most famous arena in the world” since his campaign launched.

The rally was one of several detours Trump has taken from battleground states, including a recent rally in Coachella, California, and rallies on the Jersey Shore and in the South Bronx.

While some have dismissed the stops as mere vanity events aimed at boosting Trump’s ego, the rallies have guaranteed Trump national coverage that could help him reach the country’s few remaining undecided voters, many of whom are not receiving their news from traditional media.

New York hasn’t voted for a Republican president in 40 years. But that hasn’t stopped Trump from continuing to emphasize his belief that he can win. New York is also home to a handful of competitive congressional races that could determine which party controls the House next year.

Trump regularly uses his hometown as a foil to audiences in other states, painting a bleak vision of the city that bears little resemblance to reality. He describes it as a crime-ridden neighborhood overrun by violent immigrant gangs who have invaded Fifth and Madison Avenue and occupied Times Square.

On Sunday, however, Trump was much more complimentary of the city. He said “no city so embodies the spirit” and energy of the American people and talked about attending basketball and hockey games at the Garden.

After Trump finished his speech after more than an hour, opera singer Christopher Macchio took the stage to perform the song “New York, New York.”

The former president smiled and swayed slightly, his wife standing beside him on stage.

Jill Colvin and Michelle L. Price, Associated Press