Madison Square Garden in New York is frequently referred to as the “world’s most famous arena.”For music artists, performing at “the Garden,” as it is informally known, signifies that they have truly arrived.
However, it’s not just about music.
Memorable sporting events have taken place there, such as the championship boxing match known as the “Fight of the Century” featuring Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier in 1971.
It was at a previous location of Madison Square Garden, just across the street, where Marilyn Monroe famously sang her sultry version of “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
Looking back even further, the venue was the site of an event that many fans of New York’s renowned arena might prefer to overlook.
In 1939, Madison Square Garden hosted a Nazi rally that attracted around 20,000 attendees to hear Fritz Julius Kuhn, leader of the pro-Hitler German American Bund. The arena was adorned with massive wall-hangings displaying swastikas, American flags, and an image of George Washington.
German American Bund rally in Madison Square Garden, 1939
This notorious event has been cited by critics of Donald Trump as he prepares for a rally at the Garden later today.
“President Franklin Roosevelt was horrified to see neo-Nazis and fascists in America gathering to essentially endorse the type of government in Germany,” former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump in the 2016 election, told CNN.
“I don’t believe we can overlook it,” she added, urging people to “recognize the threat this man poses to our nation because it’s evident to anyone who is paying attention.”
This week, Vice President Kamala Harris also labeled Trump as a “fascist,” referencing comments from Trump’s former Chief of Staff, retired general John Kelly, who claimed his former boss had expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler. Trump’s spokesperson denied the allegation as false.
In response, Donald Trump took to social media to suggest that Harris’s comments indicated she was losing ground.
Furthermore, Trump’s supporters, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, issued a joint statement accusing Harris of “stoking the fires of political animosity,” pointing to threats made against the former president this summer.
“Her latest and most dangerous references to the darkest malevolence of the 20th century appear to dare it to erupt,” they claimed.
“The Vice President’s remarks bear a stronger resemblance to the words of those who would plot against President Trump than to her previous calls for civility,” they added.
With a little over a week remaining until the election, the discourse is intensifying.
Today’s rally is perceived as Trump’s final appeal to the broader nation ahead of the elections.
Moreover, Madison Square Garden is also a notable venue in his hometown, where he has considerable influence and status.
Vice President Harris referred to her opponent as a “fascist.”
Some strategists believe this event could be a strategic move for New York as well.
While New York is one of the bluest states in the nation, Republicans made some congressional gains in the 2022 midterm elections, which allowed them to achieve a slim majority in the House of Representatives that year.
However, it is also in this city where a jury determined that the former president had committed falsification of business records to hide a payment to a porn actress before the 2016 election.
Additionally, this is the city where he could face incarceration if a judge sentences him to prison on November 26, just three weeks after the election.
Mr. Trump has dismissed this case, along with others, as a “witch hunt,” claiming that the ultimate judgment will come from the American people on election day.
He has vowed to seek vengeance against “enemies from within” if he regains the presidency next Tuesday.
