‘BYOB’ MAGA cruise around New York announced to coincide with Trump’s Bronx rally
Bring your own beer and flags, organizers say, as event promises attendees will ‘party like a rock star’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial and South Bronx rally this coming Thursday aren’t the only Make America Great Again shows in town this week.
A “Trump Rally Bronx MAGA cruise” on the evening of 22 May, the day before the former president appears at his first New York rally in eight years, was announced on Saturday by the site, TrumpSwag.com.
Organizers promise an evening to remember. “Sailing from Midtown, Manhattan the evening before Tump [sic] Rally Bronx. Party like a Rock Star with New York’s Finest MAGA Patriots,” the flier reads.
Only 150 tickets are available at $99 each, food and entertainment included, with cruisers told to board at 6pm for a 6.30pm cruising time.
Mimicking Mr Trump’s love of capital letters in his Truth Social posts, the FAQ for the cruise states: “BRING YOUR OWN BEER, WINE, LIQUOR. This is UNHEARD OF on a private Manhattan charter, but our Captain is allowing.”
The departure point is not advertised except for being “between 30th and 40th streets” on the west side of Manhattan (or “approx 40th Street” elsewhere on the website). More precise information will be emailed to attendees, the site says.
Lasting for about three hours, the cruise promises to take in the west side of Manhattan, downtown, the Brooklyn Bridge, Governor’s Island, the Statue of Liberty, and New Jersey.
The skyline and landmarks of New York aside, the boat itself might be quite the sight. “This will be a full fledged MAGA Rally in the NY Harbor. Bring as many flags, signs as you like. We’re going to make history!”
Boat parades in support of the former president became a feature of the 2020 election campaign and were held in cities across the country.
Sometimes the enthusiasm of the MAGA faithful got the better of them, and smaller boats would get swamped and sink.
The MAGA Cruise website includes pictures of some of those parades including a photo of a boat decked out in Trump flags in the marina at World Financial Center in New York’s Battery Park City.
Mr Trump, the presumed Republican candidate, has had to get creative with campaigning ahead of the 2024 election. His travel schedule has been somewhat curtailed by being a criminal defendant in a Manhattan courtroom where he is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records over alleged hush money payments to a porn star.
The former president has managed several photo ops around New York City in recent weeks and the Bronx rally follows on from a well-attended beach event in Wildwood, New Jersey.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments