On Saturday, I attended President Trump's Madison Square Garden rally in the heart of New York City. There, a star-studded lineup of talented speakers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and more spoke to a packed house of enthusiastic patriots and offered a compelling vision on the future of our American experiment in self-government.
Unfortunately, at the top of the rally, there was an inappropriate comedy routine - with content firmly disavowed following the rally by the campaign - that tried to steal most of the headlines immediately following the event. The comedian's ill-timed cultural ethnic jokes, targeting the Black and Puerto Rican cultures, were all in very poor taste.
I believe that as a country, we shouldn't let ourselves be overly offended by jokes—but I also understand that jokes about ethnic and cultural norms are usually not well-received when they are made by those from another culture, rather than when someone is speaking about their own culture.
The frustrating thing is that, outside of this one comic bit (and some of what I considered to be some excessive profanity), most of the Madison Square Garden rally followed the exact formula of informing and uplifting the audience.
Speaker after speaker offered ideas, inspiration, and hope that with God's grace, President Trump could be used by God to change the country for the best, just like - in the opinion of many - he did almost eight years ago. Everyone from Dr. Phil to Hulk Hogan, to the President's children and First Lady Melania Trump did exactly that and offered heartwarming and uplifting messages to the nation.
The music was stunning, and the energy in the room created a moment that won't soon be forgotten. The fact that this rally took place in New York City, with tens of thousands of supporters in the overflow, and thousands more outside, is also a stunning indication of the unity President Trump's agenda has brought to the American people.
President Trump followed this same message when he took the stage, and his words implored our nation to unite as the "one-blood" human race. His presence reminded the audience, America and the world that America needs a president who will secure our borders, protect our children from mutilation, keep American jobs here at home, and stand for life from the nation's highest office.
This is the difference between the fundamental moral values at stake, and the ethnic cultural norms poked fun at by the comedian earlier in the day. We shouldn't be so quick to get offended by a shock comedian and feed into the outrage cycle ginned up by the media.
Their outrage also detracts from the fact that the island of Puerto Rico really is suffering under the Biden-Harris administration, particularly from the recent aftermath of the two recent hurricanes. The Biden-Harris administration's offer of a paltry $750 to American disaster victims is tragic, especially when one considers the millions given to illegal and often dangerous immigrants by the administration as they are flooding our nation every day.
While he was in office, President Trump acted quickly to help the people of Puerto Rico when natural disasters struck, and they were grateful for his support during those difficult times.So obviously at this rally, this simply wasn't the time or the place for these sorts of jokes, and both the campaign and members of Florida's Republican delegation quickly distanced themselves from these remarks.
However, lessons can be learned in every situation. The powerful Trump Prayer Rallies immediately following The Manhattan Trump Rally are evidence that prayer matters.
By redirecting the energy to the actual issues that are affecting the Puerto Rican people and reminding Americans what the world can look like when the United States has a dedicated leader in the White House, we can continue to pray for a better America.
The Bible tells us:
"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." -- 2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV
In his first four years, and now, President Trump's first term and this campaign offers Americans an opportunity to continue with a formula that works: A government is best when it governs least, with leaders who respect the rights of parents to determine the direction of their children's education, an economy that works for everyone through opportunity and hope, and a return to peace through strength.
As members of the one-blood human race, we ought to reunite under this vision and elect leaders who will stand for the dignity of all Americans, from womb to tomb and beyond.
While the ill-timed jokes may have missed the mark, this offers us an opportunity to continue to direct our prayer energy to the issues that matter most—and when it comes to that, the vision that President Trump and his allies offered at Madison Square Garden was a beautiful thing indeed.
Dr. Alveda King is the Chair of the Center for the American Dream at the America First Policy Institute.
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