A storm of conservatives took to social media to blast MSNBC for splicing in clips of a 1939 Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden during its coverage of former President Donald Trump’s event in the New York City venue over the weekend.
The left-leaning network equated Trump’s Sunday evening rally with the German American Bund Madison Square Garden event held on the eve of World War II that congregated in support of the Nazi movement.
“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,” an MSNBC anchor warned as the network rolled footage of 1939 rally attendees.
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The Trump campaign’s Madison Square Garden event came just over a week before Election Day. A packed arena of thousands cheered as one rally speaker took a shot at the Harris campaign’s messaging by touting “the joy” in New York City. “Dream Big Again” slogans drifted across mammoth screens as Trump wooed voters in his hometown.
Conservatives were quick to defend the GOP leader’s rally against MSNBC’s framing of the event, arguing the network struck a “new low” that attempted to “demonize millions of Americans.”
MSNBC just stooped to a new low, airing footage from 85 years ago of a pro-Nazi rally and directly comparing it to Trump’s rally tonight. This is beyond disgusting and offensive—it’s a desperate attempt to push a false narrative and demonize millions of Americans. It’s shameful,… pic.twitter.com/kJhfqdIoqR
— David Gokhshtein (@davidgokhshtein) October 28, 2024
The network’s decision to splice the footage together came after days of accusations that Trump is a “fascist” and some outright comparisons of the former president to Hitler. Vice President Kamala Harris has accused Trump of being a fascist, while her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), has suggested there is “a direct parallel” between the 1939 rally and Trump’s Sunday evening event. Other top Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have claimed Trump was trying to “reenact” the Nazi rally.
The backlash to MSNBC’s coverage on Sunday evening was immediate as Republicans pointed out a diverse range of attendees, including a Holocaust survivor.
“Hey @MSNBC this was what you streamed on National TV, and this is Jerry Wartski, a Holocaust survivor attending today’s rally. True colors. You owe this man an apology. Not to mention the rest of the Jews at the Madison Rally. Whose Anti-Semetic?” one user questioned.
Hey @MSNBC this was what you streamed on National TV, and this is Jerry Wartski, a Holocaust survivor attending today’s rally. True colors. You owe this man an apology. Not to mention the rest of the Jews at the Madison Rally. Whose Anti-Semetic? pic.twitter.com/GvSQdQkJph
— The Constitutionalist 🇺🇸 (@WeWillBeFree24) October 28, 2024
Jerry Wartski, who was held in Auschwitz and survived one of the Nazis’ death marches, has harshly criticized Harris for painting Trump as a fascist.
“I know more about Hitler than Kamala will ever know in a thousand lifetimes. For her to accuse President Trump of being like Hitler is the worst thing I ever heard in my 75 years living in the United States,” he said in a recent campaign video for Trump.
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“She owes my parents and everybody else who was murdered by Hitler an apology for repeating this lie,” he continued.
Hey @MSNBC this was what you streamed on National TV, and this is Jerry Wartski, a Holocaust survivor attending today’s rally. True colors. You owe this man an apology. Not to mention the rest of the Jews at the Madison Rally. Whose Anti-Semetic? pic.twitter.com/GvSQdQkJph
— The Constitutionalist 🇺🇸 (@WeWillBeFree24) October 28, 2024
Madison Square Garden has been a popular destination for U.S. politicians for nearly a century. Former Presidents Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt campaigned at the venue, and Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe famously sang “Happy Birthday” to former President John F. Kennedy when he held a celebration event at Madison Square Garden in 1962. The New York venue has also been the site of multiple Democratic and Republican national conventions.