Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump headlined a rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday that began with a series of vulgar and racist remarks from the former president’s allies.

Trump, a New York celebrity for decades, hoped to use the event at the iconic venue known for Knicks basketball games and Billy Joel concerts to make his final argument against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, although the state last supported a Republican presidential candidate in 1984.

Trump has repeatedly spoken of his intention to end illegal immigration and deport migrants he has described as “cruel, bloodthirsty criminals” if he wins the November 5 election.

“On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history,” he said. “I will save every city and village that has been invaded and conquered.”

Trump called Harris a “very low IQ individual” and drew cheers from his supporters for her harsh rhetoric toward migrants.

He has pledged to ban sanctuary cities, which refuse to cooperate with the federal government in enforcing immigration laws, and to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport immigrants with criminal records.

The long list of commencement speakers varied widely, from former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to Trump’s sons Eric and Don Jr.

Some used racist and misogynistic language to warm up a packed crowd.

Giuliani, Trump’s former personal lawyer, falsely claimed that Harris was “on the side of the terrorists” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe used foul language when joking that Latinos “love making babies” and called the US Caribbean territory of Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage”.

Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin posted a clip of his comments on his Instagram and wrote in Spanish: “This is what they think of us.”

Danielle Alvarez, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, told Reuters that the Puerto Rico joke “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

Although Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, residents of the island cannot vote in U.S. general elections.

However, millions of Puerto Ricans who have moved to the mainland U.S. can vote, and there is a large community in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Harris visited a Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s largest city, on Sunday. She posted a video on social media promising to “invest in Puerto Rico’s future” as president.

Harris’ campaign in an email said the rally at Madison Square Garden “reflected the same dangerously divisive and demeaning message” as Trump’s.

Trump’s 2016 presidential opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, accused him of “reenacting” a pro-Nazi rally held at Madison Square Garden in 1939, on the eve of World War II worldwide.

Trump’s critics have long accused him of empowering white supremacists with dehumanizing and racist rhetoric.

Trump rejected the comparison to the 1930s. “It’s called Make America Great Again, that’s all it is,” he said Friday.

“Today, this is the house of Donald Trump,” wrestler Hulk Hogan said at the event in New York on Sunday. He rejected accusations that Trump is a fascist: “I don’t see any Nazis here. »

American billionaire Elon Musk, who is supporting Trump’s re-election with his X-rated social media platform and enormous wealth, was greeted on stage with chants of “Elon.”

“This is the kind of positive energy that is America,” Musk said.

Musk, who Trump said he would tap to lead a new government efficiency commission, said the federal budget could be cut by “at least” $2 trillion.

Discretionary spending, including defense spending, is estimated at $1.9 trillion of the $6.75 trillion in total federal spending for fiscal year 2024, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

In his speech, Trump said Americans are worse off today than they were four years ago.

He announced a new policy to provide a tax credit to caregivers who care for a parent or other family member.

Trump touted his foreign policy record during his 2017-21 presidency and said he would not start a war while in office, while adding that if the United States pursued a war with China, ” We’ll kick their ass.”

Polls show Harris and Trump neck and neck in battleground states that will decide the next president with just over a week until Election Day. More than 38 million votes have already been cast across the country.

Trump has sought to tie Harris to the Biden administration’s handling of immigration and the economy. Last week, Trump launched a new line of attack: “She broke it, and I promise you I’m going to fix it.”

The economy has outperformed the rest of the developed world since the COVID crisis, and stock markets have reached record highs this year. But high prices for food, utilities and housing have rattled voters, who say the economy is heading in the wrong direction.

Harris, who held a rally with Bruce Springsteen in Atlanta on Thursday and with Beyoncé in Houston on Friday, will hold another high-profile event with a speech Tuesday on the National Mall in Washington, where she will highlight the differences between her and Trump. .

“He’s full of grievances. He’s full of dark language that talks about retaliation and revenge,” Harris said of Trump in Philadelphia on Sunday.

Trump’s campaign said the event at the 19,500-seat Madison Square Garden, which can cost more than $1 million to rent, was sold out. Tickets are free and on a first-come, first-served basis, as was the case for Harris’ rally in Houston.

A crowd of about 30,000 people attended Harris’ rally with Beyonce Friday night in Houston, and about 20,000 people attended the Atlanta rally.

“My internal polls are my gut,” Harris told reporters in Philadelphia when asked how the campaign was faring in her internal election projections. “The momentum is with us”