Conflicting opinions, but civil exchanges outside Donald Trump’s MSG rally

While speakers stumping for Donald Trump were pumping up his supporters wrong Madison Square Garden Sunday nighttime — including respective who marque crude and disparaging speeches astir Blacks, Jews, and Puerto Ricans — Trump fans and those opposed to his policies extracurricular the Midtown arena spoke their minds portion remaining civil.

“I emotion everything astir Trump,” gushed Romina Zunino, 27, who became a U.S. national this twelvemonth and was 1 of those who couldn’t get into the packed MSG.

“I privation our system to beryllium backmost up similar it was. I privation to person wealth again. I privation these immigrants retired of here, due to the fact that I’m bushed of seeing them get everything for free, and the citizens don’t get anything. And portion we’re present struggling, they’re surviving their bully life. And I’m bushed of that.”

It volition beryllium the archetypal predetermination successful which Zunino is eligible to ballot — she emigrated to the U.S. from Ecuador and said she’s not offended by podcaster Tony Hinchcliffe,  who called Puerto Rico a “floating land of garbage” during his code astatine the event.

“These Latinos, they emotion making babies too. There’s nary pulling out, they don’t bash that, they travel inside, conscionable similar they did to our country,” Hinchcliffe said successful his speech.

AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura

Supporters of Republican statesmanlike nominee erstwhile President Donald Trump stitchery for his run rally extracurricular Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, successful New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Zunino said she wasn’t offended, asserting, “I’m definite they’re not speaking about, like, each azygous Latino community. We’ve done everything legally.

“There’s much things to interest astir than conscionable a elemental comment, to beryllium honest, due to the fact that I would alternatively beryllium successful a comfy world, wherever I tin spend things, wherever I tin travel, wherever I tin springiness my kids a amended spot to unrecorded than conscionable a remark towards us, due to the fact that everybody has comments towards each race, whether they similar it oregon not,” she said.

Across the thoroughfare from MSG connected Eighth Ave., a radical of astir 100 anti-Trump protesters gathered, galore holding signs and chanting phrases comparing Trump to Adolph Hitler and calling the erstwhile president and his followers Nazis and fascists: ”Welcome to your Nazi rally,” “Tired Loser,” and “F–k fascists.”

Other protesters were much diplomatic.

“I thought this is an accidental to amusement interact with radical who are Trump, funny oregon enactment Trump and … contiguous them with alternate ideas, fto them cognize that everybody connected the different broadside is conscionable arsenic patriotic and loves the state conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic they do,” said Murad Nayal, 58, of Westchester, who held a banner speechmaking “Choose Country.”

“And we conscionable deliberation that Kamala Harris presents the amended mode forward,” helium added.

Ed Wadi, 23, a utilized car salesman from New Jersey, said helium won’t beryllium votin due to the fact that helium is not registered, but that he’s mostly supportive of Trump.

“I similar his policies, Wadi said. “I consciousness similar he’s much successful enactment with maine and what I like,” helium added. “The opposition, I guess, Kamala [Harris], I consciousness similar I don’t enactment the things that she does and things that she says. I don’t truly spot it personally. She utilized to enactment radical successful jailhouse for smoking cannabis. Now she’s against it. I consciousness similar she does that a lot, wherever she flip flops connected her policies.”

AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura

Supporters of Republican statesmanlike nominee Donald Trump participate a run rally astatine Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, successful New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Two 17-year-olds from New Jersey — 1 a Harris protagonist and the different a Trump protagonist — came unneurotic to effort to spell to the rally, but arrived excessively precocious to summation introduction to the full-house event. The Harris protagonist said helium came to learn. Neither are eligible to vote, they said.

Greg Keeler, 17, who lives successful cardinal New Jersey, was wearing a “Make America Great Again” chapeau and waving a flag. “Just present to enactment Trump. Love Trump,” helium said.

He explained the person helium came with, Evan Yao, besides 17, from Berkeley Heights, N.J., is “pro-choice” portion Keller is “pro life” and doesn’t similar “some of the messaging that Trump’s done.”

Yao, who wore a “Harris Walz 2024” hat, said helium came on with Keeler for the experience.

“Ultimately, I deliberation that our relationship is an illustration of however we tin look past those things, but besides like, benignant of like, person immoderate like, sympathy oregon empathy for the different side,” helium said.