By james art
CNN
—
On Tuesday, Donald Trump defended his controversial rally at Madison Square Garden, telling supporters that the event was an “absolute celebration of love” and that I was “honored to be a part of it.”
The former president’s comments come amid backlash over disparaging and divisive remarks at his event in New York on Sunday, which included a comedian describing Puerto Rico as a “floating island of trash.” Allies expressed concern that the remarks could have political ramifications, especially given the growing influence of Puerto Ricans in the battleground states, with about half a million living in Pennsylvania alone. But Trump did not directly address criticism of the remark at his Mar-a-Lago rally.
“I don’t think anyone has ever seen anything like what happened that night in Madison Square Garden,” Trump told a crowd of supporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, as he first launched criticism of his rally. “The love in that room – it was breathtaking. And you could have filled it many, many times with people who couldn’t get in.
He claims that veteran politicians told him that “there has never been such a beautiful event”.
“It was like a love fest, an absolute love fest, and it was an honor to be a part of it,” he said.
CNN reported Monday that several of Trump’s allies expressed concern about the language used by speakers at the event, particularly the remark from Puerto Rico that set the tone for an evening of dismissive and divisive comments. The violent and vulgar rhetoric at the rally sparked finger-pointing in the former president’s inner circle and deep concern that his message was once again overshadowed by controversy.
In an interview that aired Tuesday night, Trump said the comedian behind the offensive comments about Puerto Rico, Tony Hinchcliffe, probably shouldn’t have attended his rally at Madison Square Garden.
“Yes. I mean, I don’t know if it’s a big deal or not, but I don’t want anyone making mean or stupid jokes. He probably shouldn’t have been there,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
Earlier in the day, Trump tried to cast himself as an ally to the island, telling a roundtable in Pennsylvania: “No president has done more for Puerto Rico than I have.”
He was responding to a woman who said she moved from Puerto Rico and told Trump, “I want you to know that Puerto Rico is behind you and Puerto Rico loves you.”
Trump said: “Well, we love it. I know it very well and we have helped you through many bad storms.’
In 2017, after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and triggered a humanitarian crisis, Trump was criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for being slow to respond to the crisis. Ultimately, the Trump administration stationed a Navy hospital ship on the island.
Puerto Rico’s shadow senator Zoraida Buxo spoke at a Trump rally Tuesday night in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Speaking at Mar-a-Lago, Trump mocked Democrats for drawing parallels between his rally and a Nazi rally held at Madison Square Garden in 1939. Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, said before the rally that Trump’s campaign knows “exactly what they’re doing there.”
“They started saying, ‘Well, in 1939, the Nazis used Madison Square Garden,'” Trump said. “How awful to say it, isn’t it? Because you know, they’ve used Madison Square Garden many times. Many people have used it. But no one has ever had such a crowd. And I’ll tell you what, right now no one has ever had love like this. It was love in the room and it was love for our country.
The comments about Puerto Rico by Hinchcliffe, a comedian and podcast host, were quickly condemned by the Harris campaign, which used them in an ad portraying Trump as “abandoning” the US territory after Hurricane Maria in 2017. Trump’s own campaign has distanced the former president of the remark in a statement Sunday evening.
“These are fellow citizens he’s talking about,” former President Barack Obama said at a rally for Harris on Monday. “Here in Philadelphia, they are your neighbors. They are your friends, they are your colleagues. Their children go to school with your children. These are Americans.”
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny signaled support for Harris moments after Hinchcliffe’s remarks, sharing a clip on social media about the vice president’s plans for the island.
Republicans tried to fend off the backlash. Trump said Tuesday that he had not heard Hinchcliffe’s comments and that he did not know who the comedian was, despite the fact that Hinchcliffe launched the high-profile campaign.
“I do not know him; someone put it there. I don’t know who he is,” Trump told ABC News.
Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, on Monday described criticism of the Puerto Rico joke as a “phony outrage cycle.”
“A comedian told a joke and I don’t think it’s news worth making. I think the news is that Americans can’t afford their groceries because Kamala Harris was a terrible vice president,” Vance said at an event in Racine, Wisconsin.
Trump’s comments on Tuesday, downplaying the controversy surrounding his Madison Square Garden rally, came at a campaign event where he criticized Harris and President Joe Biden for their administration’s handling of the economy and border security.
“We’re going to fight like hell for the next seven days,” Trump said as the crowd chanted “fight,” the word he shouted moments after surviving an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Kate Sullivan, Kristen Holmes, Steve Contorno, Keith Maher, Priscilla Alvarez, Veronica Straqualursi and Jack Forrest contributed to this report.