Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has been called out after making blatantly false claims that Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden reenacted a Nazi rally arose. “Don’t miss on this, go do your Google on this — Donald Trump’s got this big rally going at Madison Square Garden,” Walz said. “There’s a direct parallel to a big rally that happened in the mid-1930s at Madison Square Garden. And don’t think that he doesn’t know for one second exactly what they’re doing there.”
The claim echoed Democrat strategist James Carville’s comparison of Trump’s rally to a 1930s pro-Nazi event, later endorsed by Hillary Clinton.
In reality, however, Madison Square Garden had hosted anti-Nazi rallies, debunking the venue’s alleged symbolic link.
Accusations tying Trump to Nazi imagery have become more frequent as Harris’ campaign has sought to associate him with extremism.
Some Democrats, such as NYC Mayor Eric Adams, have called out the tactic as inflammatory and misleading. Adams argued that such rhetoric risks inciting violence post-election.
“You know, I have had those terms hurled at me by some political leaders in the city, using terms like Hitler and fascists. My answer is no. I know what Hitler has done and I know what a fascist regime looks like,” Adams said. “I think, as I’ve called over and over again, that the former president should not be able to have a rally in Madison Square Garden. I strongly disagree.”
“This is America. This is New York. And I think it’s important that we allow individuals to exercise their right to get their message clear to New Yorkers. And our job as a city and as a police department is to make sure they can do that in a peaceful way,” Adams said.
“I think that we must be extremely cautious. The heat we turn up today, pre-election, is going to have to be the heat we’re going to have to govern in. And I think we need to show a level of respectable communication,” Adams added.
“And so when people called me fascist and other terminologies, I didn’t like it. I don’t think it’s fitting to anyone to state that a former president is equal to being Hitler,” he said.
Walz’s claims, unsupported by evidence, have added to the heated campaign environment. Critics also noted that his previous stance on prosecuting hate speech is inconsistent with the allegations against Trump.