For weeks, many on the political Left have painted Donald Trump’s October 27th rally at Madison Square Garden rally with dark strokes, comparing it to the notorious 1939 Bund rally – a gathering held at the Garden that supported the Nazi regime. A recent Washington Post column argued that the event “mirrored one in the 1930s that was openly supportive of Adolf Hitler,” and politicians from Minnesota Governor and Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz to Hillary Clinton have echoed the comparisons.
I was at the rally that day, and what I witnessed bore little resemblance to the hateful rally Clinton charged Trump with “re-enacting.” The first thing that struck me when I walked into the venue—besides the theatrical air of it all, as is characteristic of Trump rallies—was the visible diversity of Trump’s base. As I traversed the stadium to my seats, I passed people from a variety of faiths, ethnicities, and races. And I was not the only one to observe this. Even The Nation’s Katha Pollitt—who, in her own words, “came away bewildered from my afternoon with the Trumpies”––noted “how many Black and brown people there were,” telling readers, “the picture you may have of Trump rallies as all-white fiestas did not hold true.”
In regards to religious representation—and I say this as a Jew myself—I noticed a lot of Jews. There were Jewish people of all stripes, from Orthodox attendees in traditional garb like black hats and yarmulkes to more secular ones only identifiable by small symbols like Jewish star necklaces and small dog tags to bring awareness to the plight of the hostages. They wore MAGA hats proudly, waved American and Israeli flags, and shared greetings and conversations as if they were old friends. As I stood in line with my father, a group of Orthodox Jewish men approached, inviting him to wrap tefillin and pray for the hostages’ safe return. My dad, along with others in line, joined in this quiet but powerful moment. Seeing such interactions made it impossible to see this gathering—a diverse crowd sharing symbols of Jewish and American pride—as anything but an expression of unity and shared hope. The diversity of Trump’s audience and its strong representation of Jewish Americans should at least bring some to question the “Nazi rally” accusations.
The event’s speaker lineup covered topics ranging from inflation and taxes to illegal immigration, but what stood out to me as a Jew was the continued focus on Trump’s commitment to Israel and Jewish Americans. The crowd cheered as familiar faces like former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani spoke up, emphasizing his unwavering commitment to Israel: “September 11 was our darkest hour, October 7 was Israel’s darkest hour — they are our best friend.” Many in the crowd—Jews and non-Jews alike—nodded with solemn agreement, proud to show their support for Israel amidst its current struggles.
The only link between the 2024 and 1939 rallies was the location, and this is superficial and misleading. Madison Square Garden is a cornerstone of American events, given its central, urban location and ability to hold nearly tens of thousands of people at once. The arena has hosted both Democratic and Republican National Conventions, and it was there that Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his final speech before the 1936 presidential election. As Jewish former Trump advisor Stephen Miller wrote on X after the rally, Trump’s opponents are simply seizing on the moment to “us[e] Nazi as a synonym for conservative American.” By making this comparison, they are not just misrepresenting reality; they are exploiting real historical suffering to stoke division and fear in service of political aims.
While it is fair to criticize the elements of the rally—such as comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s unsavory comments about Puerto Rico—to label it as a Nazi rally is to fail to treat it with nuance. In 1939, Madison Square Garden was filled with swastikas and posters bearing slogans like “Stop Jewish Domination of Christian America.” Imagine what the attendees at that event would have thought of the Israeli flags and Stars of David that filled its rafters this October. To those who made comparisons to the 1939 Nazi Rally, I would say: speak directly to Trump supporters and assess them for yourself. At the rally, I witnessed unity, not division. Madison Square Garden has seen dark days, as in 1939. But it has also been a place where American freedom and democracy are given a voice, and Trump’s rally was one more powerful example.
(Photo courtesy of Beatrice Prince)
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