Media, Dems compare historic Trump MSG rally to ‘Nazi’ event, ignore Democrat events held there

Some liberal media outlets and Democrats have dubbed former President Trump’s massive Madison Square Garden rally a “Nazi” event – overlooking the venue’s storied history in the Democratic Party – including Bill Clinton’s acceptance of the Democrat presidential nomination in 1992 and the Democratic National Convention held there in 1924.

MSNBC edited clips of a Ku Klux Klan rally held at Madison Square Garden in 1939 on Sunday as the Trump rally was taking place, likening the Republican frontrunner to a “fascist” leader and the rally something out of Adolf Hitler’s playbook. 

“But that jamboree happening right now, you see it there on your screen in that place, is particularly chilling because in 1939, more than 20,000 supporters of a different fascist leader, Adolf Hitler, packed the Garden for a so-called pro-America rally,” MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart said on air. 

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Former first lady Melania Trump and Elon Musk were among those speaking at former President Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in New York, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Hillary Clinton, the failed 2016 presidential candidate and former secretary of state, also made the comparison prior to Trump’s rally on Friday when speaking with MSNBC host Kaitlin Collins. Clinton called Trump a “fascist.”

“Sadly, here in America, the term fits,” Clinton told the CNN host. “And you know, one other thing that you’ll see next week, Kaitlin, is Trump actually reenacting the Madison Square Garden rally in 1939.” 

The Washington Post also chimed in Monday, on a column entitled “Another night at the Garden: How Trump’s rally echoed one in 1939.”

But there are other Democratic politicians who have courted votes at the Garden prior to Trump’s battle cry just a week before the election.

In 1924, the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden was a pivotal moment in U.S. political history, marked by intense factionalism and the upfront influence of the KKK. Several Democratic candidates that year had ties to or sympathies with the KKK. 

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Former President Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York, Oct. 27, 2024. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

William McAdoo, a former secretary of the treasury and one of the major candidates for the DNC nomination, received the endorsement of the KKK. McAdoo was a prominent leader of the progressive movement at the time and played a key role in the administration of his father-in-law, Woodrow Wilson.

Democratic politician Carter Glass, another candidate in the 1924 race, garnered support from Klan-aligned delegates. Al Smith, the first Catholic governor of New York, faced fierce opposition from these factions, who feared his nomination would alienate Protestant voters.

After a chaotic 103 ballots, the convention ultimately nominated John W. Davis as a compromise candidate. Davis denounced the KKK during the 1924 general election campaign, which he lost to incumbent Republican President Calvin Coolidge. Davis later unsuccessfully argued in favor of the “separate but equal” doctrine in one of the companion cases to Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court case that outlawed segregated schools.

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MSNBC aired a segment directly comparing Republican presidential candidate Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden on Sunday to a Nazi rally in 1939. (MSNBC)

In 1932, another rally at Madison Square Garden was held in support of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Democratic candidacy for the presidency. The event took place during the Democratic National Convention, which was officially held in Chicago. 

Then, in 1992, Democratic candidate Bill Clinton was officially nominated as the party’s presidential candidate at the Garden. In 1980, the DNC nominated President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale for re-election at the historic venue.

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Vice President Kamala Harris said Trump “fans fueld of hatred” in response to questions from a reporter before boarding Air Force Two on Monday regarding comparisons made to the 1929 Nazi rally held at Madison Square Garden, as well as a joke made about Puerto Rico by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe during the event.

“This is not new about him, by the way. What he did last night is not a discovery. It is just more of the same, and it may be more vivid than usual,” Harris said. “Donald Trump spends full-time trying to make Americans point their finger at each other.”

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“He fans the fuel of hatred and division, and that’s why people are exhausted with him. That’s why people who formerly have supported Donald Trump and have voted for him are supporting me, voting for me. People are literally ready to turn the page,” she added.

While the current Madison Square Garden facility opened in 1968, the historic venue dates back to 1879, finding its home in different buildings at various points in its 145-year history.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagerstrom contributed to this report.