Former President Trump is planning to hold a rally at Madison Square Garden about a week before Election Day even as analysts warn he is wasting valuable time campaigning in deep blue New York.
Trump’s campaign reportedly says it has rented the 20,000-seat Manhattan arena for the evening of Sunday, Oct. 27, just nine days before the nation goes to the polls.
It’s also planning a rally this Saturday in Coachella, Calif., deep in the heart of the biggest blue state of them all, which is also the home state of his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
The rallies indicate the former president is defying the conventional political wisdom that would urge both candidates to focus on the battleground states in the final weeks of the race that is considered a toss up.
He recently held a packed rally at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island that some pundits also questioned.
Trump says he wants to rile up his millions of loyal supporters regardless of which states they inhabit.
Harris and her running mate Tim Walz are holding rallies almost exclusively in the seven swing states that will likely determine the winner of the White House.
Some Democratic strategists say the Trump rally at the Garden, which would normally be hosting preseason games for the Knicks and Rangers at this time of year, could energize Democrats who make up the overwhelming majority of voters in the city and nearby suburbs.
Tom Watson, a Democratic strategist, questioned if endangered GOP lawmakers like Westchester’s Rep. Mike Lawler would want to be seen with Trump.
“This will pump up Democratic turnout in NYC and burbs,” Watson tweeted.
