Tens of thousands of people hoping to “make New York red again” lined up the streets of Midtown Manhattan to snag a first-come, first-serve seat at President Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. 

The ensuing scene was quintessentially New York — loud, proud, and a little chaotic. 

“Even though the people here come from all around the country — New York, Tennessee — they all just feel like your neighbor next door. We all love our country,” Doug Moyer, from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania tells the Sun. He volunteers for Trump Force 47, a grassroots organization that engages in neighbor-to-neighbor campaigning, focused on targeting voters in key battleground states. 

Though Mr. Moyer’s travels from Pennsylvania began early Sunday morning, he pulled up to midtown at around 1 p.m. He described the crowd of people — which formed a line that snaked around several blocks — as “encouraging.” 

His positive sentiment was shared by others in line — even those who were just turned away after the stadium reached capacity, like Landon Costigan, who came in from Massacchussets. 

“Even though we couldn’t get in, that’s okay,” Mr. Costigan tells the Sun. “Because the good news is that enough people came to fill up the seats. The whole place. That’s good.” Just after 4 p.m. the stadium — which boasts an advertised capacity of 19,500 — had announced that it was full.

Mr. Costigan just turned 18 and plans to cast his first presidential vote for Trump. He cites the 45th president’s stances on immigration, economy, crime, and free speech as drawing his support. “He wants to protect the people, the American people,” he says. 

He was accompanied by an older friend, Billie Park, who will also be voting for Trump. Mr. Park says that his “number one reason” for supporting Trump is because of his stances on transgender issues. “I would vote for anybody that kept males out of my daughter’s sports. Because I’ve watched it happen,” he tells the Sun. He has two daughters aged 15 and 17. 

The two carried a sign that read: “BOYcott boys in girls sports. Trump 2024.” 

There were some New Yorkers in line, too. Mela Bezon, a lawyer based in the city, said she was “amazed” by all of the people who came to show up for Trump. She had assumed that there wouldn’t be such a large crowd and so she hopped in line “after lunch.” This, unfortunately, proved to be a fatal error — she too was turned away from the rally. Though she viewed the surprisingly high interest in the rally as a good thing, even prompting her to wonder: “maybe we can flip New York red?”

An immigrant herself, Ms. Bezon spoke at length about her support for Trump’s approach to border security. “I came from the Philippines,” she tells the Sun. “But I came through legal means.” Illegal immigration “is destroying our cities,” she says. “I mean look at New York — we’re becoming a socialist state.”

She, like many others in line, were decked out in pro-Trump merch. Though you’d have no problem if you left your MAGA hat at home — peddlers had set up shop in every corner and were even offering Trump at Madison Square Garden swag. 

Even though she wasn’t able to get into the actual rally herself, she planned on “sticking around,” adding that “It’s nice to be with like minded people.” Others had the same idea, too, and flooded nearby bars and restaurants. 

An Irish pub on 33rd street, The Celtic Rail, was filled to the brim with people from all walks of life wearing the signature red hat. According to a couple of men inside, it wasn’t an organized event but that people had just popped in as they got turned away from the Garden. Trump supporters had also taken over a nearby pizza restaurant with a direct view of a jumbotron playing a livestream of the rally. 

It wouldn’t be New York if there wasn’t a bit of dissent, however. A sizable faction of protesters had clustered around the Moynihan Train hall, across the street from the Garden. One of those protesters, Nadine Seiler, was carrying a sign that read “Don the felon” on one side, and “Trump should be in prison” on the other. 

Ms. Seiler says that the public’s support for Trump makes her “very embarrassed to be an American citizen” and that she is “embarrassed” that “the American people are so susceptible to misinformation and disinformation,” adding: “we use no critical thinking.” 

As an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago, she says, she “bought into the American idea of checks and balances and American exceptionalism” which she worries is proving to be “just bark and no teeth.”  She traveled all the way from Maryland to participate in the protest. 

The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, projected disparaging messages about Trump on the outside of Madison Square Garden, including “Trump praised Hitler.” Democrats, in the lead up to Trump’s event, drew comparisons to a Nazi rally that was held at the Garden in 1939. 

By 5 p.m. the rally had kicked off its star-studded line-up, which featured Senator Vance, Elon Musk, RFK Jr., Rudy Giuliani, Tucker Carlson, Hulk Hogan, Melania Trump, and others. 

Mrs. Trump, in a rare campaign appearance, took the stage to introduce her husband to what she called “our hometown,” to the delight of a roaring crowd. 

After walking out to a live version of Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA, Trump told the crowd, “I’m thrilled to be back in the city I love.” In his hour-plus long speech, the former president repeated many of his campaign promises such as cutting taxes, raising wages, securing the border and ending the war in Gaza and in Ukraine. He also took several jabs at Vice President Harris, calling her “grossly incompetent” and having a “very low IQ.” 

He ended his address by repeating various iterations of his infamous campaign phrase: “We will make America powerful again. We will make America wealthy again. We will make America healthy again. We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again, and we will make America great again,” he said.

Trump’s speech, however, was hardly the most controversial of the night. Podcast host and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe offered an expletive filled address that mocked latinos and called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” 

His unsavory jokes have since sparked backlash online, with even some Republicans coming forward with their displeasure. A Florida representative, María Elvira Salaza, took to X to share that “This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values. Puerto Rico sent 48,000+ soldiers to Vietnam, with over 345 Purple Hearts awarded. This bravery deserves respect.”

Another Florida Rep, Carlos Gimez, said that “This is not a joke. It’s completely classless & in poor taste.” The Trump campaign has since distanced themselves from Mr. Hinchcliffe’s remarks. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” a senior campaign adviser, Danielle Alvarez, said in a statement to the Washington Post.