Why Trump held big rally in deep-blue NYC

(TNND) — Former President Donald Trump packed the famed Madison Square Garden on Sunday night for what his camp called the "greatest political event in American history."

The rally, which wasn’t without controversy, brought some famous Trump supporters and Republican heavy hitters to the stage in a state that hasn’t gone to a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan won reelection in 1984.

So, with just over a week to Election Day, why did Trump spend a night in deep-blue New York?

“Two reasons,” said Todd Belt, the Political Management program director at George Washington University. “Campaign fundraising, and his other strategy of influencing the influencers."

New York might be the media capital of the world, and holding a big rally in Madison Square Garden is a good way to get a lot of attention from the press.

“I think there was probably a lot of debate within his inner circle about spending time, especially nine days before the election, in New York, given that it's not going to go Republican,” said Belt’s GW colleague, Casey Burgat.

Burgat, the Legislative Affairs Program Director at GW, said the national headlines generated off the rally can help both the Trump campaign and some Republicans in tight New York congressional races.

Oklahoma State University politics professor Seth McKee said a handful of House seats in New York were responsible for giving the Republicans a majority following the 2022 midterms.

Those seats could still go either way, McKee said. He also questioned whether GOP lawmakers could win over moderate voters if they were seen as part of the MAGA movement.

“I still think the middle, as small and shrunken as it is, is probably where this thing's going to be decided,” McKee said about the race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris on the whole.

The experts mentioned a handful of freshmen GOP congressmen in competitive New York races that might feel the impact of Trump’s rally in their state: Anthony D'Esposito of New York's 4th Congressional District, Michael Lawler of the 17th District, Marcus Molinaro of the 19th District and Brandon Williams of the 22nd District.

The most controversial comment during Trump’s rally might’ve come from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean."

The Trump campaign even distanced itself from the comment, saying it “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

Burgat said that’s the “rare distancing from a speaker at a campaign rally. So, obviously not good attention there.”

D'Esposito, one of the New York Republican congressmen in a competitive district, took to social media after the comedian’s comment to declare his pride to be of Puerto Rican descent.

“My mom was born and raised in Puerto Rico,” D'Esposito said on X. “It’s a beautiful island with a rich culture and an integral part of the USA. The only thing that’s ‘garbage’ was a bad comedy set. Stay on message."

RELATED STORY: Bad Bunny endorses Harris after comedian's comments on Puerto Rico at Trump rally

Trump treated the Madison Square Garden rally as something of a homecoming. Trump, who now lives in Florida, was born and raised in New York.

Trump told the crowd that New York was a “special place” and that it was “the city I love.”

The city “taught me that Americans can do anything when they want to,” he told the crowd. “So, no matter our differences, when we work together, there is nothing that we cannot achieve."

Belt said Trump’s return to New York also feeds into his campaign’s theme of “resilience.”

Just as Trump pumped his fist in the air after the assassination attempt this summer in Pennsylvania, Belt said Trump wants to show he won’t be driven out of New York by lawsuits or felony convictions.

The election is expected to turn on the outcome of just seven battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

McKee said spending time rallying in New York, California or Colorado – all solidly blue states – might not be “smart things down the homestretch when the candidate is your greatest resource.”

“Maybe that's a sign of some confidence,” McKee said. “I don't know.”

But he said the rallies do generate a ton of press.

And they aren’t any different than Harris spending a night at a rally in Houston.

Texas isn't going to flip either, McKee said.

“But we're so nationalized in terms of messaging that a rally in Houston or a rally in New York City, everybody's going to find out about it,” he said.