Crowds were massing on streets and sidewalks around Madison Square Garden on Sunday morning eight hours before Donald Trump’s campaign rally starts at the famed venue.
Trump is set to take the stage at 5 p.m. but roads were already closed around the New York City stadium early in the day and security was in place, local outlets reported.
Before 8 a.m. huge crowds of supporters of all ages bearing American flags and Trump merch could already be seen in the cold morning air just waiting for for the countdown to Trump’s big moment in the heart of the city.
A vendor sells Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump items before a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024 in New York City. ( Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Signs are placed in seats before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Trump will be accompanied by a host of high-profile speakers at the event including his running mate Sen. JD Vance, Rudy Giuliani, former presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and his kids.
“Madison Square Garden is the center of the universe,” said Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller, noting the venue’s storied history hosting events including the 1971 “Fight of the Century.”
Plenty of those gathered Sunday morning were happy to agree with that sentiment.
“He’s not just going to be speaking to the attendees inside Madison Square Garden. There will be people tuning in from battleground states all across the country,” said former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, a New York Republican and ally of the former president, who said Trump has been talking about holding an event at the venue since the start of his campaign, AP reports.
Trump will be joined at the rally by supporters including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has spent tens of millions of dollars to boost his campaign.
More to come…