Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday should go down in history as the seminal event of his 2024 campaign, his campaign and the entire MAGA movement. He was the governor of hatred, racism, and misogyny, and became a terrifying symbol of the world. Our politics are moving forward.

It represents his final statement and is the clearest symbol of the choice facing voters.

Trump never returned to New York City to seek the remaining outstanding votes. He wasn’t even there to offer a vision for a second term, short of mass deportation.

Trump’s speech was a show of power and a message, if not entirely consistent, that the MAGA movement is strong and united in its vision of an America that does not embrace diversity or equality in any area. . This was a celebratory speech, not for his electoral victory, but for his complete and undeniable victory for unity and truth, and a harbinger of what was to come whether he won or lost the presidency.

This is because this base does not benefit from victory and almost certainly does not benefit from defeat either.

“For the past nine years, we have fought the most evil and corrupt forces on earth,” he told the cheering crowd, once again criticizing the shadows of Democrats, immigrants, Jews, transgenders and pedophiles. mentioned the cabal. It’s a mash-up of the bitter boogeyman. “With your vote in this election, you can show them once and for all that this country is not theirs. This country is yours.”

That particular “they” and “you” carries all sorts of dog-whistle meanings and threats.

As Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, like to say, the Trump Republican Party welcomes everyone. Those are the people who are willing to stand in line, cheer on his hatred, and vote for him. Yes, there were Latinos, Blacks, Jews, and maybe a few LGBTQ+ people in attendance.

But Trump and his aides made clear Sunday night that inclusion and respect are not the same thing. Welcome everyone to vote for him is a far cry from welcoming them as equals.

To all those who still believe that even if Trump’s first term was not disastrous for democracy, a second term is viable, if not ideal, I say Maya Remember Angelou’s wise words: first time. ”

And perhaps more importantly, listen to those around President Trump.

Probably radio shock jock Sid Rosenberg (He once called tennis great Venus Williams an “animal”) It was best said, or at least the most honest, when he said on Sunday night, “It’s not appropriate to speak at a Nazi rally…but I took part in the work.”

Incredibly, that wasn’t the most shocking comment of the night. That honor is comedian tony hinchcliffehost of the podcast Kill Tony.

Hinchcliffe became popular for his so-called jokes about Puerto Rico.

“Right now, there’s an island in the middle of the ocean with literally floating garbage,” he says. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”

This led to a swift backlash from prominent Puerto Ricans, including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Luis Fonsi, and Ricky Martin. Even the Trump team has since half-heartedly distanced itself from the comment. (And don’t say his routine at the nationally televised rally wasn’t scrutinized).

But this wasn’t the only notable “joke” Hinchcliffe made. He named a black man in the audience who he said was a friend, and claimed that the two of them “carved a watermelon together” instead of a pumpkin for Halloween. Cheerful.

Also problematic was his remark, not jokingly, “Who cares?” about the conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians, Russia and Ukraine. Hinchcliffe asked.

He then suggested that Israel and Gaza should use a children’s game of rock, paper, scissors to resolve the war. It was the setting for this gem. “You know the Palestinians throw stones every time,” Hinchcliffe said. “You also know that Jews have a hard time throwing that paper.”

Trump supporters have tried to trivialize Hinchcliffe’s widespread racism as mere comedy, but he was no outlier.

Tucker Carlson, who was successful in getting fired from Fox a while ago, went after Kamala Harris for being mixed race, a concept that is both confusing and offensive to MAGA at first glance. .

Carlson went on a rant that Harris’ victory would have to include voter fraud, saying that a “swell of public support” would result in “the first Samoan-Malaysian, former California prosecutor with a low IQ, to become president.” He scoffed at the idea that he could be elected.

Then he delved into the Great Replacement Theory and the ugly metaphor that America would be destroyed if it became a majority non-white nation.

“The people of this country know that they have been taken over by a leadership that actually despises and hates them and their values, history, culture and customs enough to try to replace them.” Carlson said.

And President Trump’s advisor Stephen Miller, who is from California, said, “America belongs only to America and Americans.”

And it didn’t seem like it meant immigrant Americans.

One speaker called Harris “the antichrist.” Some called Hillary Clinton a “sick bitch.”

We have all heard of Trump’s extremism for so long that we are hardly immune. His own insiders often argue that it’s simply a matter of the way he speaks and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

But I think otherwise. Oddly enough, I’ve come to agree with far-right commentator Jack Posobiec.

Posobiec told the New York Times that the sold-out Madison Square Garden in the heart of blue New York City “signifies the arrival of the MAGA movement.”

He’s right. For reasons that have long been unraveled, half of our country is so angry and radicalized that this movement toward repressive, xenophobic authoritarianism will not be defeated this November.

The crowd that cheered President Trump’s un-American vision of America knew that this cruel direction to crush civil rights would continue to exist, whether in the form of the rule of law or lurking beneath the surface. Showed. This is a new reality in American politics that will likely stay with us for the rest of our lives.

But even if Trump were to occupy the Oval Office, there would still be half the country willing to fight for the country, not of the people, by the people, but for the people.

All of them.