Trump Describes Controversial MSG Rally as a ‘Love Fest’ — Mocks Comparisons to 1939 Nazi Rally

Former President Donald Trump addressed criticism surrounding Sunday night’s rally at Madison Square Garden, responding to critics and calling it a “love fest.”

The headlines in the aftermath of Sunday night’s event were dominated by insult comedian Tony Hinchcliffe making several off-color and racist jokes. He referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” mocked a Black member in the audience as a “friend” with whom he had been carving watermelons, and floated the antisemitic stereotype that Jews love to hoard money.

In Trump’s eyes, however, the event was nothing more than a “beautiful” thing to brag about, making no mention of the controversy that swelled in the 24-hour news cycle that followed. Trump said:

We have a coalition nobody’s ever seen anything like. I don’t think anybody has ever seen anything like what happened the other night. At Madison Square Garden. The love, The love, the love in that room. It was breathtaking. And you could have filled it many, many times with the people that were unable to get in. But politicians that have been doing this for a long time, 30 and 40 years, said there’s never been an event so beautiful. It was like a love fest, an absolute love fest. And it was my honor to be involved.

He then pivoted to critics who compared the event to a 1939 event held at the original MSG at 50th Street and 8th Avenue led by the German-American Bund, which warned about the influx of Jews and ruining American culture. The Washington Post’s Phillip Bump noted that there were great similarities in the two patriotic and nationalistic events, though instead of warning about Jewish influence, Trump and the MAGA set are warning about immigrants “poisoning the blood” of the United States.

But Trump mocked that idea, saying:

And hopefully, you know, they started to say, well, in 1939, the Nazis used Madison Square Garden. Well, and you know what? Every now — but can you imagine in 1939, the Nazi. But, but how terrible to say, right? Because, you know, they’ve used Madison Square Garden many times. Many people have used it, but nobody’s ever had a crowd like that.

And I tell you what, right now, nobody’s ever had love like that. That was love in the room. And it was love for our country. It was really.  So we’re going to fight like hell for the next seven days and then hopefully win.

Watch above via CSPAN.