New York made him, New York disavowed him and New York convicted him. But Donald Trump took his revenge on Sunday, October 27, by holding a rally, nine days before the presidential election, at Madison Square Garden, the legendary venue in the heart of Manhattan that welcomed singer Elvis Presley and boxer Mohamed Ali. "The king of New York is back to reclaim the city that he built," proclaimed Donald Trump Jr, the former president's son.

"This is where a Republican is not supposed to come, which is why Donald Trump came here," echoed Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York turned Trump lawyer, now bankrupt for defaming election officials in Georgia and denying the outcome of the 2020 elections, to a packed house.

"New York is Trump county," claimed Representative Elise Stefanik, famous for taking down the presidents of Harvard, Penn State and Columbia universities over pro-Palestinian campus protests deemed anti-Semitic. Speakers portrayed Trump as the victim of judicial conspiracies fomented by Democrats and extolled the developer's supposed building talents, which they said "changed the skyline of New York." Not that any of his buildings have actually reshaped the city.

Never mind the facts, it was all about shaping the legend, even if that means pushing the envelope. "He [Trump] cares deeply about people, even when the cameras aren't rolling. His kindness is quiet but genuine – and it's a side of him the media rarely shows," asserted Steve Witkoff, a New York real estate developer and longtime friend of the former president. The Democratic Party "has no idea why people like Donald Trump," echoed far-right commentator Tucker Carlson, daring to say that it"s "because he likes them," unlike Kamala Harris. Yet almost all the evidence paints Trump as self-centered and incapable of feeling the slightest compassion for others.

The Trump movement remains a family affair, with the parade of his wife Melania, sons Donald Jr and Eric. "This is so much more than a political movement, this is the greatest family in the world," said Eric, who took aim at the Republican Party, but half-consciously revealed the clan's grip on the Grand Old Party. His wife, Lara, became the co-chair of the GOP in March.

The rally dragged on, starting at 5 pm and ending past 9 pm, not counting the four-hour wait to get through security. It featured a parade of the usual Trump supporters, an inverted mirror of the events held by Democratic candidate Harris, who has been backed up by icons Barack and Michelle Obama, Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé.

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