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IIt takes a special kind of person to make Midtown Manhattan feel deeply unsettling to any New Yorker.

But on Sunday morning, the typically chaotic energy of 34th Street was replaced by a more menacing atmosphere as groups of people donned Make America Great Again merchandise and shouted “USA” in the faces of passersby.

This is a city where street performers, foreigners, mobs and a few unlucky dead people frequent the stages, creating scenes like anywhere else in the world. This is why some are uncomfortable in the “madness” of New York. Sunday’s pre-rally was first place.

A woman wearing a stunned “MAGA” jacket waved a selfie stick and shouted: “New York is Trump country” around 9.30am. Another woman, wearing a cheerleading uniform and shorts, kicked her foot in the air and yelled “Trump!”

A man impersonating North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un walked along the barricades where hundreds of Trump supporters cheered and shouted hoping to get a photo. This is a man posing as a dictator of a hermit kingdom. And he was getting cheers from the Trump crowd. In New York City.

The typical street vendors selling New York Yankees hats and “I Heart NY” shirts were nowhere to be seen. Instead, folding tables with red MAGA hats and “We Heart Donald Trump” shirts lined the iconic downtown street.

As I walked down 33rd Street, hoping to talk to some people who had traveled to New York to attend Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden, I couldn’t help but wonder: What the hell is going on?

As soon as the former president announced that he would be holding a massive rally at the iconic arena, I knew I wanted to see who, if anyone, would show up for Trump in one of the bluest cities in the country.

Although this is his hometown, he is not welcome by most New Yorkers. When Trump was impeached in New York last year, residents took to the streets to celebrate the infamous real estate mogul finally facing repercussions.

During his criminal trial in New York, almost no fans showed up to support the former president. Some days there were single digit people.

After his sentencing, New York City residents laughed at Trump supporters who took the train from Long Island, New Jersey or Connecticut to appear in front of Trump Tower for the former president.

I assumed his MSG rally would bring in some local supporters, but I was shocked to experience the magnitude of it. Trump’s cult influence knows no bounds, even in New York, where Trump trails Vice President Kamala Harris by 14 points.

Swarms of people in various versions of MAGA hats—stunning, camo, pin-adorned—stood on 33rd and 34th streets between police barricades.

For three hours, I joined them, sticking out like a sore thumb in a black jean jacket without a MAGA hat. I chose not to identify myself as a reporter unless someone asked to prevent any hostility.

There is a strong sense of camaraderie in these crowds. After all, everyone has one thing in common: their love for Trump.

One woman bragged that she took a red eye from San Francisco to attend this rally. Once a group of people heard this, they hailed the Californian and asked a passing press photographer to take a picture of her as a reward.

In the three hours we waited to enter MSG, we watched a group of young people go from strangers to friends. They bonded over their love of conservative Instagram meme pages.

“Communist-ala Harris,” was one of the most popular jokes.

In this group, the more outrageous a person’s outfit, the louder they scream Trump, the more vulgar the language used to describe Democrats — the more welcome you are.

This may be why there is a strange undertone standing with this crowd. It’s the unpredictable energy that can go from singing “God Bless the USA” to violently storming the US Capitol in a matter of hours.

After about three and a half hours, the police began to usher us toward the entrance of MSG. Energized MAGA lovers began chanting “USA,” “Fight, fight, fight,” and “Trump!” as they passed anyone they could to get to the front of the crowd.

Everyone seemed to be oblivious to the piles of trash, blankets, and lawn chairs that the overnight campers had just left for others to clean up.

We were forced to wait another 30 minutes outside the front of MSG as ushers, volunteers and law enforcement tried to create an organized line for security. Their plan involved creating three different corrals of people and slowly allowing them through security.

One man reached out to me about his experience attending a Trump rally in Pennsylvania in 2016, which he described as being “surrounded by the smartest people in the world.”

Finally, after waiting for hours in cold weather with a group of the most energetic people I’ve ever met, I made it to security – who then abruptly kicked me out for having a camera with me (something which was not on Trump’s campaign “do not bring” list).

So I made the most of my time and went back to 33rd Street to talk to fans hoping to get inside. I walked along the barricades that kept Trump supporters on 32nd Street, but as soon as a group saw my New York press pass by, they started booing me.

A man waved me in but just wanted to know his chances of getting in.

As I made my way back down Fifth Avenue, swarms of Trump supporters who were late getting in took to the street to show their support. Red hats walked and weaved through the crowd, and several peddlers of Trump merchandise circulated.

I watched what appeared to be ordinary New Yorkers (judging by the pace of their walking) turning their heads, glancing sideways at the mass of Trump supporters.

Finally, a normal scene – New Yorkers annoyed by tourists.