Yes, the Donald Trump movement is often called out as fueled by racial animosity, pure racism itself, xenophobia, anti-immigrant, and the undeniable whiff of anti-Semitism – it is all just accepted fact. Trump himself wouldn’t likely argue the point. These terrifying concerns are inherent to any movement that seeks to take the country “back” to when it was “great” – presumably before the Civil Rights Act, back when immigrants were primarily from Europe, back when the white man’s preeminence was never in question. This has been a given for a long time.
But at no point has the red-hat doctrine, or the Trump “ideal” – been more nakedly displayed than that which emerged from the Madison Square Garden rally, one so full of racism and hatred that the Republican party itself, even the Trump campaign, is scrambling to keep the damage contained and losses to a minimum.
The event was doomed from the start due to historical precedent and the Nazi rally of 1939. But perhaps the most offensive speaker was “comedian” Tony Hinchcliffe who joked about Puerto Rico as a “floating pile of garbage.” That was too much even for the Trump campaign which immediately “distanced itself” from the comment. But it was worse, both racist, xenophobic, crude, and just adolescent in nature:
“I don’t know if you guys know this, but there is literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
“These Latinos, they love making babies, too. Just know that they do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country.” He also joked about one of his Black “buddies” and how they “carved watermelons” together.
Right – juvenile. The act was so bad that the Trump campaign dispatched spokesperson Karoline Leavitt to appear on Fox and Friends during the power-packed 6:00 a.m. set. Leavitt downplayed the “joke” because it was such a great night or something:
“Look, it was a comedian who made a joke in poor taste. Obviously, that joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or our campaign. And I think it is sad that the media will pick up on one joke that was made by a comedian rather than the truths that were shared by the phenomenal list of speakers that we had,”
The media – including myself, if necessary – are focused on the big picture and the big picture begs the question as to what this guy was doing there in the first place? It is not like they didn’t know what they were getting. Moreover, even the setting itself, a campaign rally conjuring up images of the 1939 Nazi rally, also in Madison Square Garden, was enough to put the campaign on notice that it would have to defend anything “off color.” Indeed, “off color” looked like the entire point at times. (Some think the rally was set to intentionally overlap the dictatorial overtones just a week prior to the election).
Meanwhile, the damage was done and the reaction came hard and fast even from Republicans.
“A floating island of garbage…?” Referring to Puerto Rico???
“Poisoning the blood of our nation…?”
We have “murder in our genes….?”
Fuck these racists. Latino men of good will, have pride in yourselves and your ancestors. A vote for Trump is a vote against self-respect.— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) October 28, 2024
Yes, even Geraldo has had enough. The stint sent “Fox and Friends” reeling into false equivalencies and airy dismissals. In these settings, Brian Kilmede can always be counted on to deliver something both banal but still wonderfully stupid. Per Mediaite’s coverage:
“That was part of the pre-show; that was two hours before the president spoke,” Brian Kilmeade jumped in before pivoting to blast media coverage of the event. “It’s amazing, the cover of The New York Times [read] ‘Trump at Garden, a closing carnival of grievances, misogyny and racism.’ Only somebody who works for the Harris campaign pretending to be a reporter for The New York Times would write something like that.”
Anytime one’s best defense is “Yeah, but it was an hour before… ” you know that there is a problem. For Republicans in competitive races – and especially for Rick Scott from Hispanic-rich Florida, the comments gashed a seeping wound that needed immediate dressing. Scott stated:
“This joke bombed for a reason. It’s not funny and it’s not true. Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans! I’ve been to the island many times. It’s a beautiful place. Everyone should visit! I will always do whatever I can to help any Puerto Rican in Florida or on the island.”
This joke bombed for a reason. It's not funny and it's not true. Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans! I’ve been to the island many times. It’s a beautiful place. Everyone should visit! I will always do whatever I can to help any Puerto Rican in Florida or on… https://t.co/b00eYWkx85
— Rick Scott (@ScottforFlorida) October 27, 2024
As revolting as Rick Scott might be, it’s a pretty strong statement, what one wants to see as push back. Scott remains a criminal shakedown artist but his instincts are good.
For anyone on the Right who still needs moderate votes to win a close election – which describes Senators Rick Scott and Ted Cruz along with many GOP House members – the rally’s reverberations will go on for days – perhaps right up until Election Day, and thus turning off women of all colors, the most reliable voting group and one turned off by extremism.
But have no doubt, Hinchcliffe was at the Trump rally to entertain. The campaign highlighted the fact that people in the crowd laughed, as if it was self-proving that it wasn’t a serious concern. But that is actually the point. This type of hatred somehow feeds some deep hunger inside or it wouldn’t be tolerated. To be very fair – the joke did seem to bomb, which would at least speak well of the people at the rally rejecting the hateful context. Yet someone thought this guy would be great entertainment for some Trump-supporters.
But those “some” are not the people in the 40-55% of voters, those voters who could go either way, the moderates, perhaps believing that Kamala Harris is too liberal but have real problems with this – those are the voters that the GOP must now court. But these incidents keep happening, perhaps with increasing frequency. They’re a feature, not a bug.
Trump and the Republicans will either pay a price for tolerating such openly racist junk or they will not. It will not necessarily surprise anyone if this hateful and dangerous rhetoric is increasingly tolerated. It is dangerous.
God Bless: I can be reached at [email protected] and @JasonMiciak
the ‘pubes are “shaken” at what they saw/heard at trump’s klan rally? Really? Why? It’s what the fools have been working toward for over 40 years. What a bunch of dipshits. Yeah, space karen is far from being the only dipshit.
With all the hate from Trump, HIMSELF, a verbally proven sack of pig droppings, something like this springs to the top of Trump’s building dung heap …
It forecasts weeks and months of scorn and flat out backlash for Trump and anything he says or does during his coming trials and sentences may earn him a direct path to public entertainment, laughing directly into Trump’s ugly face as he continues to fabricate lies and, “Poor Me’s”…. He’s facing a very long time in prison, he has formed the solid anger of the judges and the DA’s are going to roast his fat ass …
Trump’s only option now, is becoming a resident in an asylum for the criminally disturbed, a fate worse than any prison sentence for a man that is totally driven by his own importance and public praise … When the spotlights and floodlights shut down. with no phone and no public rants, he WILL be in a hell of his own making …
I can hardly wait for the Marshall’s detail to show up for his last special trip to a place of detention and controls he has never faced before …
✋️ I second what Spike said above! 👏 Umm, Jason, your headline is a bit hyperbolic, doncha think? The story doesn’t live up to it. The campaign distancing was pretty weak, Geraldo had already endorsed Harris before this happened, and Rick Scott was sucking up to a block of voters he needs in his state right this second and never again.
Perhaps so – good feedback, perhaps so.
OTOH – I left quite a bit out, Fox and Friends was in full damage control and you know what that means.
Regardless, your point is fair and well-taken. Thanks
jason
What really concerns me is the amount of people that attended this event. I expected a weak turnout, but that is not what I see now. I hope this doesn’t forshadow what could happen when he loses.
IIRC, one attendee interviewed by a local TV news reporter said was from a midwestern state, and I saw no interviews of “local” MAGAs. The repeated phenomenon of rally “followers” populating Von Schitzie’s events continues, and this one’s being held in NYC made it easier for a larger number of the faithful to converge.
Yes & Just like the vast majority of J6 insurrectionists were not local from DC who attacked our Capitol to attempt to stop the counting of electoral votes – the vast majority of those in attendance at yesterday’s MSG hate rally were not local from NY/NJ/CT and not from New York State.
The unfunny comedian dickhead was very much a planned part of the show; his offensive routine was approved and on his teleprompter.
Re the original Nazi rally in ’39: there were 20,000 Hitlerites inside but outside were 100,000 patriotic Americans who were there in protest. It took 1700 NYC cops to keep them from breaking in and doing serious damage to the assembled goosesteppers. Were there any such patriots outside Trumpler’s version?
Yes, but not thousands organized in protest. One reported noted: Most New Yorkers walked by the supporters with practiced indifference, though some couldn’t resist taunts and barbs. One woman cruised down 33rd Street in a wheelchair, shouting obscenities at the dictator-loving MAGAts.
Notice that the ’39 MSG Nazi Rally was deliberately held on the 207th birthday of George Washington. Whereas, Traitor Trump deliberately held yesterday’s White Supremacist Neo-Nazi hate rally at MSG on the 6th Anniversary of the deadliest antisemitic hate crime in US history – The Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue MAGAt terrorist attack.
Of course, it’s the Cooch and my Congressman, Scott Perry.
This isn’t abnormal for MAGA rallies. It’s typical.