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Chilly temperatures were no match for the mounting excitement of a “magical event” as supporters by the thousands revealed how long they’d waited for former President Donald Trump.

“He’s home. This is home. They should give him a good welcoming.”

On his third run for the White House, the GOP leader has stunned talking heads with his appeal to unity, attracting independents, Democrats and first-time voters with appearances in blue strongholds. Now, after drawing thousands to the Bronx and Long Island at rallies earlier this year, the president’s debut rally at Madison Square Garden inspired some to wait outside in the cold for over a day.

“We love Trump. I love Trump and it’s cold out but it’s worth the wait. We want to make sure we get in,” 57-year-old Patty Vitala told the New York Post after arriving for the Sunday rally with friends at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. “I was almost going to doze off. We do have a hotel room to go back to change but we’ll most likely be sitting out here for the night so we don’t lose our seats and make sure we get in.”

“I never expected to be first in line. I’ve never been to Madison Square Garden and I just thought this was going to be a magical event,” said Barbara, a 54-year-old employee for a Sussex, New Jersey school district who said she was one of the first arrivals at 10 a.m.

Images on social media captured the extent of the crowd stretching away from the arena home of the New York Rangers and the New York Knicks where some even sang the national anthem.

Forecasted low temperatures overnight were in the 40s with a high around 57° Fahrenheit Sunday, but that wasn’t enough to deter the enthusiasm of even first-time voters like 62-year-old Scott Williams of Staten Island who told the Post he’d arrived with his girlfriend at 11 a.m. Saturday.

“Well, I’ve never been to Madison Square Garden, so that’s nice. I’ve never voted in my life until this year,” he added. “It’s better than paying $500 to $600 for a hotel. A little bit of cold ain’t no problem.”

The gates of the venue weren’t expected to open until noon Sunday with the event slated to begin at 5 p.m. and, according to NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell, seating was on a first-come, first-served basis for the expected nearly 20,000 people that would be in attendance.

“You will see a…heavy uniform presence around the Garden,” he said during a briefing to the press Saturday about the weeks of preparation. “You’ll see heavy weapons teams, counterterrorism, aviation…blocker vehicles. We are the best at what we do. We prepare for protests every day. We will have a very safe day tomorrow for all New Yorkers.”

With planned appearances from former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, members of Trump’s family and more, 69-year-old Debbie Carrol of Long Island, who’d said, “I don’t plan on sleeping, too much adrenaline,” expressed to the newspaper, “He’s home. This is home. They should give him a good welcoming.”

Kevin Haggerty
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