What to know about Madison Square Garden ahead of Trump rally

Madison Square Garden, known as “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” in New York City will be the venue for a rally hosted by former President Donald Trump during the final stretch of his reelection campaign.
A campaign official told NBC New York on Wednesday that the “arena tour” will take place on Oct. 27, nine days before Election Day on Nov. 5.
The event is expected to be first come, first served, and campaign officials expect sizable numbers, given that MSG has a capacity for more than 19,500 people.
Known for live sports and entertainment, MSG is home to the NBA’s New York Knicks and NHL’s New York Rangers, but the venue is also no stranger to politics and controversy, ranging from Democratic and Republication conventions to landmark visits from dignitaries, including two popes and even a Nazi rally in 1939.
Since its inception, Madison Square Garden has had four transformations within New York City.
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New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, D-Manhattan, denounced the former president’s planned rally on social media on Wednesday: “Let’s be clear. Allowing Trump to hold an event at MSG is equivalent to the infamous Nazis rally at Madison Square Garden on February 20, 1939.” He encouraged MSG to cancel the event.
The Trump campaign swiftly condemned Hoylman-Sigal’s comments, according to the New York Post, saying, “This is the same type of dangerous rhetoric that led to two assassination attempts on President Trump’s life and has divided our country,” said the campaign’s national press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Melissa Cruz is an elections reporting fellow who focuses on voter access issues for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, at @MelissaWrites22.