To the editor: I’m an Angeleno in New York who decided to see the biggest theatrical event in a city known for its theater – former President Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden. As a lifelong Democrat and supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris, I felt I had to see firsthand what we were dealing with.

It was terrifying.

In the 1920s and 1930s, angry Germans gathered to hear Adolf Hitler tell them that all their problems were due to the Jews. On Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, angry voters went into a frenzy as Trump told them all their problems were because of immigrants.

Before he took the stage, a parade of people spreading lies and hate lasted for hours. Among them was Dr. Phil McGraw, who gave a long speech about how Trump wasn’t a bully and would somehow stop bullying children (what?).

It was a wild party that was all about hate. “Throw her out” is the new “Lock her up.”

Harris is not perfect, but after what I saw on Sunday, I am more convinced than ever that Trump is a threat to our democracy and our values.

Doug Jones, New York

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To the editor: The speaker who called Puerto Rico “garbage” was only referring to Trump, who a few days earlier had called America the “dustbin of the world.”

I don’t understand why some Republicans were offended by the speaker’s comments but remained silent about Trump’s comments.

June Thompson, Los Angeles

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To the editor: I was hoping Trump would self-destruct before the election.

This shameful display of racism, misogyny, threats and polarization might convince just enough voters to choose Harris. It was like a modern reappraisal of Hitler’s Nuremberg party rallies.

It would only take a change in the electorate of about two percentage points to defeat Trump – for good.

Mark McIntyre, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Columnist Doyle McManus makes the case for understanding Trump’s threat to our democracy by listening to the ex-president’s former advisers.

Add to that his current political advisor Stephen Miller, who declared at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden: “America is for Americans and only for Americans.” This is a throwback to the Nazi slogan “For Germans Only.”

Trump is indeed an existential threat to our country.

Matt Giorgi, Brea

This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.