(NewsNation) — Geraldo Rivera strongly denounced former President Donald Trump and speakers at a Madison Square Garden rally, calling it a potential turning point that could derail Trump’s presidential campaign and declaring that “a vote for Trump is a vote against self-respect” for Latino voters.
Speaking Monday on NewsNation, Rivera, a longtime friend of the former president, became emotional discussing racist comments made at the Sunday rally, particularly comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s description of Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage.”
“Damn you. How dare you,” said Rivera, whose father was one of 17 children from Puerto Rico. “Trump has deteriorated into a racist mouthpiece. He is invoking language that is beyond the pale.”
Trump on Sunday held a rally at Madison Square Garden, where several speakers made racist and crude remarks.
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Rivera, a NewsNation correspondent at large, predicted the event would be “the October surprise” that could halt Trump’s campaign momentum. He specifically criticized Trump’s repeated claims that migrants are “poisoning the blood of our nation.”
While acknowledging Democratic failures on border policy, Rivera rejected claims that the anti-immigrant rhetoric was solely about illegal immigration.
“If these were Swedish people coming across the southern border, or Finnish people, or some other European people, they wouldn’t use this reduction of a race of people,” he said.
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The event was a surreal spectacle that included former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, billionaire Elon Musk, TV psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, politicians including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Reps. Byron Donalds and Elise Stefanik and an artist who painted a picture of Trump hugging the Empire State Building.
In addition to his remark about Puerto Rico, Hinchcliffe also made a crude joke about Latinos in which he said, “They love making babies too. Just know that. They do. They do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They c** inside. Just like they did to our country.”
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Hinchcliffe wasn’t the only one who made controversial remarks about different racial and ethnic groups during the rally. Carlson referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as a “Samoan, Malaysian, low-IQ former California prosecutor” even though Harris is neither Samoan nor Malaysian but rather Black and Indian American.
Sid Rosenberg, a New York City radio host whose show Trump calls into periodically, blasted Democrats in derogatory and explicit terms.
“She is some sick b——, that Hillary Clinton. What a sick son of a b—-,” he said of the former secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee. “The whole fucking party. A bunch of degenerates.”
Trump ally Rudy Giuliani used racist stereotypes about Palestinians in his address at the rally, claiming, “They may have good people. I’m sorry, I don’t take a risk with people that are taught to kill Americans at 2.”
Trump’s childhood friend David Rem referred to Harris as “the Antichrist” and “the devil.” Businessman Grant Cardone told the crowd that Harris ”and her pimp handlers will destroy our country.”
Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a statement that Hinchcliffe’s “joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
NewsNation partner The Hill and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
