Shocking Display of Fascism at Trump’s Madison Square Garden Rally

The entire duration of Republican candidate Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday was marked by an outpouring of xenophobia and fascist declarations. The event featured Trump and an odd array of speakers before him, who openly disparaged Puerto Ricans and Palestinians, attacked the media, and portrayed their political adversaries as a satanic “internal enemy.”

Convened in New York City on the penultimate Sunday before the November 5 election, the rally served as a final appeal from a candidate who has vowed to use the full force of the federal government—including the U.S. military—to remove those he sees as barriers to his rise to power and his political agenda. This agenda includes extensive deportation plans, significant deregulation of industries, and additional tax cuts for the affluent.

“Whenever I mention the enemy within, the other side loses their mind,” Trump declared on Sunday, describing Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and other party leaders as mere “tools” for the “radical left apparatus,” which he described as “enormous, savage, [and] corrupt.”

“They are a vague group of individuals. But they’re clever and ruthless. And we have to conquer them,” stated the Republican candidate, who falsely alleged that the U.S. is an “occupied country” suffering a “migrant invasion” that only he can halt.

The rally included Trump’s usual exaggerated claims about the size of his crowds and other trivial fixations—as well as peculiar figures like Hulk Hogan and Dr. Phil taking the stage. However, historians and other attendees were appalled by the overt authoritarian ambitions that were plainly showcased and unabashedly promoted that night.

“What we’re seeing here is fascism, unmasked: no subtlety, no deniability,” said Kathleen Belew, an assistant professor of history at Northwestern University specializing in the white supremacist movement in America. “It’s a demonstration of power and another effort to normalize these displays,” Belew continued. “And it won’t simply vanish after the election, no matter the result. In fact, it’s crucial to consider the very real possibility that this display indicates that this candidate and this movement are indifferent to the election’s outcome.”

One journalist described Trump’s event as “the most blatantly fascist mass rally in New York since 1939″—a reference to a pro-Nazi gathering that year at Madison Square Garden—and criticized the media’s reporting on the former president’s remarks, highlighting a particularly glaring former headline from USA Today.

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) participation at the rally underscored the alignment between Trump and the Republican Party’s leadership as the GOP aims for complete control of Congress on November 5 and prepares to implement the former president’s policies.

“We need to elect our congressmen and senators because we can easily take the Senate, and I think we’re going to do really well with the House, right?” Trump mentioned late Sunday, hinting at someone in the crowd—possibly Johnson. “He and I have a secret,” Trump added, with his comments broadcast live by all major cable news networks. “We’ll reveal what it is after the race is over.”

Other speakers at the rally included far-right commentator Tucker Carlson, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and billionaire Elon Musk, who has contributed approximately $118 million to the 2024 campaign in support of Trump.

“I’m not just MAGA,” Musk stated, referring to his black hat. “I’m dark, gothic MAGA.”