Melania Trump took the stage at her husband’s New York City rally to “Paradise City” by Guns n’ Roses, then launched into a bleak, but misguided, diatribe about how bad things are in the Big Apple — and the rest of the country.
The former first lady has made few appearances with her husband on the campaign trail. She attended the RNC in Milwaukee and the Al Smith dinner in New York City but has, for the most part, been absent. On Sunday, her speech was a surprise, as she was not on a pre-released list of speakers.
She came out to the famous Guns n' Roses song, as frontman Axl Rose has spoken out against Donald Trump's use of the band's songs without permission. The lively crowd launched into applause when Elon Musk introduced her.
“Hello Madison Square Garden!” the former first lady began, calling the metropolis “the world's undisputed capital of industry, where titans of finance, fashion, and entertainment convene.” New York is an “unforgiving” city, Melania went on, apparently empathizing with the audience about how “our lives are complicated, even during the best of times.”
“And sadly, today, a declining quality of life, coupled with economic instability, makes it difficult for businesses and American ingenuity to blossom among determined citizens who race across city streets, and between offices, striving for success.”
Crime is rising, not just in New York but coast to coast, she declared.
However, NYPD data released in July showed crime down over the previous six months. And figures released in August by Gov. Kathy Hochul showed a statewide dip in crime, and singled out Nassau County, the Long Island suburb nearest to the city, as the safest county in the entire nation.
Nationwide, violent crime is down some 15 percent, according to the FBI.
The speech capped off a long afternoon of speakers, including Dr. Phil, Elon Musk, and a wild-eyed NYC sanitation worker David Rem, all of whom painted the United States as a nation in decline.
