Donald Trump makes radical move to steal Democrat stronghold as race for White House ramps up
Donald Trump makes radical move to capture Democrat stronghold as race for White House ramps up
Reuters
Donald Trump is set to host a rally at Madison Square Garden, as the race for the White House ramps up.
The former President is setting his sights on New York with an event to be held at the iconic Big Apple venue, just nine days before Election Day.
The event is expected to draw a huge crowd, and admittance will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Madison Square Garden has a capacity for more than 19,500 people.
Announcing the event, Trump said: “We just rented Madison Square Garden. We're gonna make a play for New York. We're going to be doing a rally at Madison Square Garden, we believe.
Donald Trump makes radical move to capture Democrat stronghold as race for White House ramps upReuters“We think we're signing Madison Square Garden to do. We're going to have a big rally honouring the police, and honouring the firemen, and everybody. Honouring a lot of people, including teachers by the way.
“We'll be honouring the people that make New York work,” Trump added.
It will be the first venue visited as part of an “arena tour”, as Trump plans to visit key battleground states in the run-up to the election, a campaign official told NBC News.
Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden will be the first time that the 45th President will speak to his supporters in the deep-blue state, which also happens to be his hometown.
Trump spoke in the Bronx in May
Getty
In 2020, just 12.3 per cent of New York Voters cast their ballot in favour of Trump, with Joe Biden winning with a staggering 86.8 per cent.
Trump and his campaign have repeatedly said they believe that New York — which has not voted for a Republican president since 1984 — could be up for grabs this election.
Former President Ronald Reagan won the state in a re-election landslide, and he was the last Republican to carry New York in a White House race.
Trump also plans to hold a rally in California, in the Coachella Valley, the site of a major annual outdoor music festival. He lost California in the last two elections by about 30 percentage points.
Trump and his campaign have repeatedly said they believe that New York could be up for grabs this election
PA“Like Coachella and others to come, MSG is because we are adding some very big venues because we are seeing very high interest in attending events,” a campaign source told Fox News Digital.
He also added: “We're making a play for New Jersey. We're making a play for Virginia.”
The rally in New York will not be Trump’s first in the Big Apple. He held an event at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island, last month. Only 16,000 seats were available but many who couldn’t get in watched him speak on screens outside the venue.
He also held a rally in the Bronx, which saw 10,000 supporters attend, despite a capacity of 3,500 people.