Dr. Phil McGraw endorses Trump at MSG rally

Dr. Phil McGraw appeared at Donald Trump’s campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024, to express his support for the former president, describing Trump as “tough as an old Army boot.”

McGraw, known for his long-running television show, opened his remarks by clarifying he was “not here just to stand up for Donald J. Trump,” but noted Trump “doesn’t need me to stand up for him. He’s got lots of enemies… [yet] he is still standing,” according to Deadline.

During the rally, McGraw addressed what he described as a silencing of Trump supporters, who he believes are “canceled, intimidated, marginalized, excluded or even fired or boycotted.” He criticized what he called “mob mentality” and “intimidation tactics,” arguing, “It’s time that we push back against cancel culture.” McGraw added, “When you attack a citizen, and you use the power of the Internet, you use mob mentality… that is not OK.”

McGraw further discussed media coverage of celebrity endorsements, contrasting coverage of Trump supporters with that of public figures backing Kamala Harris, such as Beyoncé and George Clooney. “I’ll guarantee you when Beyoncé, George Clooney, De Niro, and Rizzo come out and say they’re for Kamala Harris, did you read anything or hear anything in the media criticizing it?” he asked. McGraw, however, predicted backlash against his appearance at the Trump rally, saying, “You watch what happens tomorrow morning when people find out I came here to talk to you.”

Citing the First Amendment, McGraw argued for protecting free speech against what he described as rising censorship, warning, “We have a law that protects free speech so we start taking it away from each other? Are you kidding me?” The event marked McGraw’s first public endorsement of Trump since their earlier interview on Merit Street Media, where McGraw expressed alignment with Trump’s claims of unfair prosecutions.