Trump supporters in Midtown Manhattan for Sunday’s blockbuster rally at Madison Square Garden were forced to find creative ways to relieve themselves when they arrived to find no portable toilets in sight — and some wondered whether the oversight was intended as a thumb in the eye to the MAGA crowd.
An estimated 2,000 supporters camped out on MSG overnight — and some said they had been waiting up to 48 hours before doors opened Sunday morning.
By 10 a.m. there were more than 10,000 people waiting for blocks and blocks around the Midtown venue. And not a toilet to be found.
“We’re peeing in bags and little cups, and we had to put up a little portable privacy shower so people didn’t have to look at each other when they did that,” said Dorothea Ohlandt, 59, who got in line for the Madison Square Garden rally at 10 a.m. Friday after driving all the way from North Carolina.
She said she’s been to Trump rallies all over the country, but that New York City was the only place that failed to provide even basic accommodations.
Ohlandt, who said she had a hysterectomy five weeks ago and is diabetic, said when she asked officers if she could leave the secure area to go to the bathroom, she was told she couldn’t return to her spot in line.
Follow the latest on Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden:
- Trump’s NYC rally at MSG live updates: RFK Jr, Dr. Phil and Hulk Hogan take the stage
- Anti-Trump protesters get into tense standoff outside Penn Station
- Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe quips at Trump MSG rally: ‘Democrat Party looks more like a Diddy Party’
- Everything to know about Trump’s NYC rally at Madison Square Garden
“So we had to do this,” she said. She gestured to a pile of bottles with urine around her makeshift campsite, adding that it’s “insane!”
“Why didn’t they put any porta potties out here for us? Why did the city decide not to do that? It’s like a third-world country!”
As the security barriers erected around Madison Square Garden started filling up early Saturday, Trump supporters learned to their dismay that venturing beyond their confines for a pee break would be a one-way ticket, and that they wouldn’t be allowed back in line.
“This is just like a screw you to the Trump supporters from New York City!” Jennifer Sasser, 46, who arrived in New York City Friday morning after driving from Wisconsin to ensure she nabbed a spot at the front of the line in the entrance to the World’s Most Famous Arena.
New York police brass on scene seemed to poo-poo the concerns.
“Life in the city isn’t easy,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell told The Post when asked about the lack of portable toilets for the massive crowd.
“We’ve got people in pens like watching the ball drop, but this is waiting to get into Madison Square Garden. We’re well prepared, they’re orderly. We’re going to have a very nice day.”
But a Trump aide who asked not to be named said the whole thing stinks — and that the campaign had sought the required permits but they were never approved.
“It’s pretty clear there’s election interference from someone,” the aide told The Post.
Typically, the campaign provides porta-potties at rallies with permits secured from local governments, the aide pointed out, noting that before Sunday’s rally they “proactively went to businesses around MSG to offer their restrooms to supporters.”
However a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams reached by The Post disputed the Trump aide’s claims.
“The Trump campaign never applied for a permit. If they did, their application would’ve went through the typical permitting process, but they never applied.”
A MSG source said the absence of outhouses was “between the city and the campaign” because they wouldn’t be located on their property even if they were installed.
“We don’t have any responsibility. If people came on their own they are responsible for their own food and restrooms, etc. It’s very similar to New Year’s Eve when people go to the ball drop, the Thanksgiving parade, anything like that.”
Kimberly Vayda, a single mom who works in automotive sales, came out for the rally with her 7-year-old daughter Danica in tow.
She said they were coping with the bathroom situation by doing without.
“You just can’t drink any fluids. We got here a little after 6 a.m., and she loves Trump, so we’re going to tough it out and not drink or eat anything. It’s kind of insane that there’s no provision at all for people who are going to be waiting this long, said.
When asked why she wanted to come see Trump speak, Danica told The Post, “Because he’s kind. He helps little kids, I’ve seen the videos.”
As for her strategy for going the whole day without a bathroom break?
Start and end your day informed with our newsletters
Morning Report and Evening Update: Your source for today’s top stories
Thanks for signing up!
“Don’t drink anything.”
Doors for the event opened just before noon, with programming expected to begin at 2:30 pm.
Trump was not expected to take the stage before 5 p.m. Guests will include Elon Musk, Dana White, Tucker Carlson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Trump has vowed to win New York, a feat not accomplished by a Republican since Ronald Reagan’s blowout victory against Walter Mondale in 1984.
