USA Trump canvasses for votes in the heart of Manhattan

In a joint appearance with tech billionaire Elon Musk and other prominent supporters, US presidential candidate Donald Trump canvassed for votes in the battle for the White House in the middle of the liberal East Coast metropolis of New York. In the famous Madison Square Garden, which seats just under 20,000 people, the 78-year-old Republican drew cheers in part with personal attacks on his opponent Kamala Harris - despite a series of untruths about the Democrat and migration policy.

Musk praised the future economic policy under Trump - with his help: "The future is going to be great," he shouted to the crowd. Trump said: "The day I take the oath of office, the migrant invasion of our country will end and the rebuilding of our country will begin." Earlier, his wife Melania Trump, who has rarely appeared in the election campaign, and former wrestling star Hulk Hogan had also spoken in Manhattan.

Difficult relationship with New York

With his appearance in the largest American city, a stronghold of the Democrats, Trump clearly wanted to make a statement. This should also help some Republican parliamentary candidates who are hoping for success in a series of tight races in the state and want to win a seat in the US Congress after the election on November 5.

Trump comes from the New York borough of Queens and, as the heir to a real estate company, made a brilliant rise in New York at the end of the 1970s and in the 1980s, which helped him achieve nationwide prominence. However, since the polarizing 2016 election campaign at the latest, many liberal New Yorkers have turned their backs on Trump and his right-wing populist policies.

Most recently, the politician, who now lives in Florida, has been a frequent guest in Manhattan for court appearances, among other things. At the end of May, he became the first former US president to be found guilty of a crime for concealing hush money payments to a porn actress.

SDA