Hate on stage at Madison Square Garden

We might as well start with last night’s disastrous Trump campaign rally at Madison Square Garden. That would be Tony Hinchcliffe, the podcaster who member of Joe Rogan’s circleand who was the first speaker of the evening.

“These Latinos also love to have children. Just know this. They do. They do. There is no pulling. They don’t. They go inside. he was joking. “Just like they did to our country.” A minute later: “I don’t know if you know this, but there’s literally an island of trash floating in the middle of the ocean right now. Yeah, I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” A few more minutes passed before he got to the joke about black people liking watermelon. New, edgy material for a minstrel show in 1874.

Other speakers were only slightly better. Trump’s childhood friend called Vice President Kamala Harris the “antichrist” and the “devil.” Radio host Sid Rosenberg called her husband Doug Emhoff a “lousy Jew.” Tucker Carlson joked about Harris’ claim to be “the first low-IQ Samoan-Malaysian former California prosecutor ever elected president.” Stephen Miller is at full strength blood and soildeclaring, “America is only for Americans and Americans.” (In 1939, a Nazi rally at the old Madison Square Garden promised “to bring America back to true Americans.”) Melania Trump gave a rare public speech that served mostly as a reminder of why they are rare.

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Only after this did Trump take the stage and call Harris “a person with a very low IQ.” He vowed, “On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history.” He proposed tax breaks for family caregivers, but the idea was quickly lost in a sea of ​​insults.

Republicans who are not MAGA supporters reacted with alarm and horror—presumably because of the political implications, since the contents are unlikely to be surprising at this point. Politician A handbook, a useful guide to conventional wisdom, this morning quotes Republicans are concerned about the alienation of Puerto Ricans and Latinos in general. (Harris visited a Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia yesterday and received an endorsement from Puerto Rican pop superstar Bad Bunny.)

“Stay updated with messages” begged Representative Anthony D’Esposito, a New York Republican, is in a tight race for re-election. This is funny. This – all of this – is the message of the Trump campaign. Other Republicans may cringe at the crudeness of these comments or worry that they will cost votes, but they made their choice a long time ago and are sticking to it despite years of bigotry and other ugliness.

Adam Server: J.D. Vance’s empty nationalism

Trump runs on nationalism, crude stereotypes and lies about immigrants. He humiliated Harris in an offensive and personal way. He attacked American Jews for not supporting him. His disdain for Puerto Rico has a long history, and his callousness after Hurricane Maria in 2017 was one of the most appalling moments of a terrible presidency. He feuded with the island’s elected officials; his administration tried to block help; and he tried exchange American territory for Greenland. (The Trump campaign said Hinchcliffe’s daily routine “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” which is also absurd. Trump invited him to appear at a Trump campaign rally, and he joked while standing on a lectern emblazoned with Trump’s name .)

The Trump campaign itself may be perfectly happy with how it all went. Madison Square Garden, the most iconic place in Manhattan, a place that still fascinates him, was packed to capacity for him. Counter-protests were muted, although speakers at the rally boasted that they had entered the beating heart of liberalism. (How New York Times‘ Nate Cohn writesNew York has moved somewhat closer, although any hopes of victory in the city or state remain far-fetched.)

David Graham: Donald Trump’s dog whistles are unmistakable

The whole point of the rally was provocation. Trump has long demonstrated the view that it is better for people to talk about him, even if they are outraged, than to talk about anyone else. The results are unclear: Trump won in 2016 but lost the popular vote, lost in 2020 and led his party to poor results in 2018 and 2022. But he seems to believe this year could be different. Trump calculates that if people think about immigration and race, they will turn to him, even if they don’t approve of the policy solutions he proposes (or simply don’t believe he will take them).

Some Democrats agree and worry that the Harris campaign’s recent turn to attack Trump is a missed opportunity for the Democrat to make a positive case or refocus on economic issues. Super PAC for Harris Future Forward warns in an email that Trump’s “attacks on fascism are not all that compelling,” while Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a Harris surrogate, warned that the rally was a “bait.”

In terms of election calculus, focusing on last night’s offensive remarks may prove unhelpful for Harris. But as an embodiment of what Trump stands for as a candidate and what he will bring to power, the rally was an effective vehicle for his final message.