Following a Donald Trump rally at Madison Square Garden over the weekend that included racist and derogatory comments about Latinos, Puerto Ricans and others, a spokesman for the Manhattan arena distanced himself from the highly publicized comments but did not condemn the comments.
“As a business we are neutral on political issues,” the spokesperson said in a statement Bulletin board. “We rent from both sides. We do not censor artists, performers or speakers.”
The statement follows an appearance at the rally by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, whose 12-minute speech included a series of disparaging comments about Palestinians, Jews, Latinos, major music stars and more.
“These Latinos, they like to make babies, just know that. They do. There is no pull. They don't do that. They're coming in, just like they did in our country,” said Hinchcliffe, host of the popular live comedy podcast. Kill Tony. He followed that statement by saying, “There is literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it's called Puerto Rico.”
That latest statement drew swift and widespread backlash, with the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris quickly released a video pledging to do the best for the island's citizens. Harris' video was boosted by a myriad of Puerto Rican artists, including Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin and Luis Fonsi.
On Monday (October 28), Marc Anthony also responded, writing on X (formerly Twitter) that “[Trump] he began his campaign by calling Latinos criminals and rapists. He told us what he was going to do. He will separate children from their families and threaten to use the ARMY to do it.
For Sunday's (October 27) rally, the Trump campaign rented Madison Square Garden, which has been used for a number of political events over its long history, including both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. During the rally, the Democratic National Committee displayed signs on the side of the venue, including one that read “Trump praised Hitler.” (For example, in 1939, Madison Square Garden hosted a rally for the American Nazi Party that was billed as “pro-Americanism” and was attended by about 20,000 people. The American Nazi Party was later outlawed after Adolf Hitler declared war on the U.S. after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor in late 1941.)
In addition to his other remarks, Hinchecliff's speech included several disparaging statements about major music stars. “I don't know about you, but I think Travis Kelce might be the next OJ Simpson,” he said referring to Taylor Swift's boyfriend, who Trump attacked on X (formerly Twitter) after the superstar endorsed Harris. for president in September.
The comedian also referred to Harris supporters Leonardo DiCaprio, Eminem and Beyoncé, saying “every day the Democratic Party looks more like a P. Diddy party.”
During his speech, Trump himself called Madison Square Garden “incredible” and thanked MSG Entertainment CEO James Dolan, a registered Democrat who has been friends with Trump for more than three decades. “I want to thank Jim Dolan,” Trump said. “He was incredible. He was just incredible. The work they have done. The work they have done. Thank you.”
