Trump Eyes Madison Square Garden Rally: Report

MIDTOWN, NY — This year could bring a new guest to the garden: Trump.

Former President Donald Trump is thinking about renting out Madison Square Garden for a big rally during the lead up to November's presidential vote, according to an interview he held with right-wing news site, Breitbart.

Despite Trump losing New York by an even greater margin in 2020 than he did in 2016, the former President still feels that New Yorkers will buy what he's selling.

“One of the other things I’m going to do — and I may be foolish in doing it," Trump said in what Breitbart said was an over two-hours-long interview, "is I’m going to make a heavy play for New York, heavy play for New Jersey, heavy play for Virginia, heavy play for New Mexico, and a heavy play for a state that hasn’t been won in years, Minnesota.”

He said given how well conservatives have done in local gubernatorial races since he left office, he is interested in spending some of his war chest in these traditional solid-blue states.

“I’m going to do rallies, I’m going to do speeches, I’m going to work them,” Trump told Breitbart.

He then threw out the idea of hosting a Trump 2024 rally in what he called "the belly of the beast."

“I may rent Madison Square Garden and that’s the belly of the beast, right?” Trump told Breitbart.

Many on social media were quick to point out how back in 2020, Trump then, too, made claims that the Empire State would go MAGA come November.

“Over the last six months what’s happened is insane. It’s insane. So we’re going to try very hard to win New York and that will be the first time — is that since Ronald Reagan, I guess? Since Ronald Reagan,” Trump told the New York Post.

In reality, Joe Biden carried the state by 2 million votes in 2020, beating Trump by an even greater margin than Hillary Clinton's roughly 1.7 million vote advantage in 2016.

Midtown voters in Council District 3, which includes Madison Square Garden, voted for Biden over Trump by a 77 percent margin in 2020.

Others on the internet pointed to the last time an America First-style rally was held in Madison Square Garden when over 20,000 attended the Nazi-praising German American Bund rally in 1939 — which was billed as a "Pro-America" or "Americanism" rally. A short documentary about the event, made up of archival footage, shows the stage framed by a banner of George Washington flanked by swastikas.

And some pointed out that since Trump has a long history of stiffing vendors and contractors — including venues and even local police departments from his prior oval office runs — James Dolan better ask for cash first, rally later.

"Dear venues: get the money up front," one user wrote.