Donald Trump has headlined a packed rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden that began with vulgar and racist remarks from his allies.

There were profane attacks on Trump’s presidential rival Kamala Harris, former candidate Hillary Clinton, other Democratic leaders, Puerto Rico and migrants sheltering in New York.

Trump, a New York celebrity for decades, hoped to use the event at the iconic venue to deliver a closing argument in the race to the White House against Democratic candidate Harris, even though the state last backed a Republican presidential candidate in 1984.

“I’d like to begin by asking a very simple question. Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” Trump said at the start of his speech on Sunday. The crowd shouted: “No.”

He went on to promise that he would stop an “invasion of criminals coming into our country” if he won the November 5 election, and called Harris a “very low IQ individual”.

“On issue after issue, Kamala broke it, but I will fix it. And we’re going to fix it,” Trump said later as seated supporters behind the stage waved signs that read “Trump will fix it”.

The list of at least 20 opening speakers varied widely from former pro-wrestler Hulk Hogan to former New York mayor (and now bankrupt) Rudy Giuliani to Trump’s sons Eric and Don Jr.

The rally also featured a rare appearance by Trump’s wife Melania. She spoke for less than five minutes, to introduce her husband – embracing him as he arrived on stage.

“Let us charge together with a shared vision that builds on American greatness. Let’s seize this moment and create a country for tomorrow – the future that we deserve,” Melania Trump said.

Some of Trump’s introductory speakers used racist and misogynistic language in warming up the capacity crowd.

Giuliani, a former personal lawyer to Trump, falsely claimed that Harris was “on the side of the terrorists” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and wanted to bring Palestinians to the US.

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe used crass language in joking that Latinos “love making babies” – and derided Puerto Ricans in the mainland US city where more of them live than anywhere else.

“There’s a lot going on, like, I don’t know if you know this but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now,” he said. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”

Ricky Martin’s posts to his Instagram shortly after Hinchcliffe’s speech. Source: Instagram

Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin posted a clip of the comments on his Instagram and wrote, in Spanish, “This is what they think of us.”

Another famous Puerto Rican, superstar Bad Bunny – whose album Un Verano Sin Ti was the most-streamed album globally in 2023 – posted a video of Harris spelling out her plan for Puerto Rico to his 45 million Instagram followers shortly after Hinchcliffe left the stage.

‘Divisive and demeaning’

Earlier on Sunday, Harris visited a Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia in the must-win state of Pennsylvania to encourage people to vote. Pennsylvania is home to a further 500,000 Puerto Ricans.

She posted a video on social media promising to “invest in Puerto Rico’s future” as president.

Harris’s campaign said the Madison Square Garden rally was “mirroring the same dangerously divisive and demeaning message” as Trump.

Trump’s 2016 presidential opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, has accused him of “re-enacting” a pro-Nazi rally that was held at Madison Square Garden in 1939 on the eve of World War II.

Trump’s critics have long accused him of empowering white supremacists with dehumanising and racist rhetoric.

Trump rejected the comparison to the 1930s.

“This is called Make America Great Again, that’s all this is,” he said on Friday.

“Today this is Donald Trump’s house,” said the wrestler Hulk Hogan in a speech at the New York event, later rejecting accusations that Trump is a fascist: “I don’t see any Nazis in here.”

US billionaire Elon Musk, who is supporting Trump’s re-election bid with his X social media platform, enormous wealth and cash giveaways that have raised legal questions, was greeted to the stage with chants of “Elon”.

“This is the kind of positive energy that America is all about,” Musk said.

Musk, who Trump has said he would tap to lead a government efficiency commission, said the federal budget could be reduced by “at least” $US2 trillion ($3 trillion). Federal outlays topped $US6.75 trillion ($10 trillion) in fiscal 2024, which ended September 30.

Trump got cheers inside the arena for his tough-on-migrants rhetoric. He vowed to ban sanctuary cities and invoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act law to deport immigrants with criminal records.

Trump announced a policy to provide a tax credit for family caregivers “who take care of a parent or a loved one”.

Polls show the rival candidates are neck and neck in the battleground states that will decide the next president with just over a week until election day. More than 38 million votes have already been cast.

Trump’s campaign said the event at the 19,500-seat arena, which can cost upwards of $US1 million to rent, was sold out.

Tickets were free and on a first-come-first-served basis, as was the case with Harris’s Houston rally.

-with AAP