By james art A hugely important election is fast approaching, and those on the right and the left are feeling the heat. As candidates begin to wrap up their 2024 election campaigns, tensions appear to be at an all-time high.
But on Sunday night, at New York’s historic Madison Square Garden, unity prevailed.
The sun was out and the air was perfectly crisp when I joined the already snaking line at 10:30am. Spirits were high among the thousands of supporters gathered. People who had never met before sang “God Bless America” and “God Bless the USA” wrapped in Trump/Vance flags. Typical chants of “USA! USA! USA!” and “Fight! fight! Fight!” erupts frequently.
It was surreal to see people carrying MAGA memorabilia in the middle of New York. I’ve lived in this city my whole life and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I’ve seen someone wearing a MAGA hat in public.
What surprised me most, however, was the amount of young people around me – I counted at least a dozen teenagers in close proximity to me, some unaccompanied by their parents, apparently choosing to spend their Sunday at a Trump rally with their friends (although many of them looked like they were too young to even vote).
A Jew from Brooklyn joked with me about them vanguard Trump hats adorned with a lock of orange hair, but noted: “Trump’s hair isn’t orange, it’s white! His face is orange!”
I asked him what he thought of the recent news coverage that called Trump’s MSG appearance a Nazi rally. “It’s all fake news. See how everyone is doing,” he said.
He continued: “The Jews I know love Trump because with Trump we know we will have peace. We will not have a war in the Middle East. We won’t have a war. Point. He lamented: “The Middle East is a firebox. That would never happen with Trump.”
A black man from Queens, who brought his young son and daughter, agreed with him, noting that the most important thing to think about in this election is who can bring peace to the nation and the world.
I asked him what made him bring his children with him to the rally: “I came here to show my support for Donald Trump. My children need to know that the man is fighting for their future. That’s really important to me.”
I also asked him what he thought of the left’s accusations that Trump is racist. “Donald Trump doesn’t care who you are or where you’re from. He just cares that you’re American,” he said flatly.
I ran into a group of Wall Street financial bros, one of whom I actually went to college with. They told me that being a Trump supporter in New York is now less taboo than ever. “We talk about the big guy in the office all the time,” said one. “Most people actually like it. People who don’t [mess] with him it even seems like i don’t hate him so much anymore.
I asked what their favorite quality of Trump was. “Besides being a badass? He actually cares about us and wants the best for us. Kamala doesn’t want that.
Speakers leading the rally seemed to be on the same page. Vivek Ramaswamy, Tulsi Gabbard and Tucker Carlson highlighted how a Trump presidency will bring about a restoration of peace.
Carlson also spoke about Trump’s personal appeal, saying, “The number one reason people like Donald Trump is because he likes them. That’s why. And true affection is something you can’t fake.
He continued: “People know that the country has been taken over by a leadership class that actually despises them … really hates them to the point of trying to replace them.”
“They know someone who really has an affection for them, and that’s Donald Trump,” he concluded.
Dr. Phil McGraw gave a speech calling for an end to bullying others because of their political beliefs. “When you attack a citizen and you use the power of the internet, you use mob mentality, you incite people to gather and cause boycotts, then it’s beyond ugly,” he said. “And that’s what’s happening in this country right now, and that’s not right.”
I couldn’t help but notice a marked absence of Trump’s infamous “Make America Great Again” signs at the rally. Instead, the campaign handed out signs emblazoned with the words “Dream big, again.” That message — a call for Americans to look forward, excited about the future — is exactly what Kamala Harris and her supporters don’t want people to think about. But it’s already too late.
“This is the city where I was born and raised, and this is the city that taught me that Americans can do anything,” Trump said in his speech. “Regardless of our differences, when we work together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish.”
Americans are tired of living in survival mode. Raging wars, a crippled economy, an immigration crisis, a widening gulf of political division, and rapid inflation have made Americans realize that they want joy again, they want unity again, and they want to dream again.
Standing in such a meaningful arena, surrounded by a sea of red hats and adoring, cheering Trump fans, I couldn’t help but feel how historic this moment in time is for our country. I was 14 years old when Trump was elected president, and like many of his supporters, I have been forced to deal with the vitriol, insults, and hatred of the left over the past eight years. It has often been tiring to stand up for my own convictions in the face of such cruel adversity. But watching Trump on that magnificent stage in Madison Square Garden reminded me—it reminded all Americans—of what lies ahead with a Trump presidency: hope. And that’s always worth fighting for.