Donald Trump is making a high-profile return to New York in the final days of the presidential race, with plans for a massive rally at the iconic Madison Square Garden. The event is set for October 27, marking the start of the final week of his campaign, according to a campaign insider.
This will be Trump’s second major rally in his hometown, following a May event in the South Bronx that attracted a large and diverse crowd. His presence in New York comes after a successful rally on Long Island just last month.
“We’ve got some big ones coming up. We’ve just secured Madison Square Garden, and we’re going to make a real play for New York,” Trump declared during a rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He also hinted that his campaign is eyeing additional venues in Georgia and New Jersey.
Trump still believes to have a fighting chance in New York even as he lost the state by 20% in 2020
Although New York has consistently voted Democratic in recent elections, Trump has remained confident about his chances there, despite losing the state by over 20 percentage points in previous runs. His penchant for staging attention-grabbing events at famous venues like Madison Square Garden underlines his strategy.
In between key battleground states like Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Trump will also visit places that are not considered competitive. For example, on Friday, he will head to Aurora, Colorado, a city that has become a focal point in the ongoing debate over immigration. Aurora’s mayor recently repeated unsubstantiated claims about Venezuelan gangs overtaking local neighborhoods, something Trump has seized upon, promising to “liberate” the town if re-elected.
On Saturday, Trump will hold a rally in Coachella, California, a state he has lost by wide margins in previous elections. Despite his struggles in Democratic strongholds like California, New Jersey, and Virginia, Trump has expressed a desire to make a push in traditionally blue states, including New Mexico and Minnesota.
