Democrats escalate attacks on Trump after comedian calls Puerto Rico ‘floating island of garbage’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats stepped up their attacks connected Donald Trump connected Monday, a time aft a comedian opening a rally for nan erstwhile president called Puerto Rico a “floating land of garbage,” a remark that drew wide condemnation and highlighted nan rising powerfulness of a cardinal Latino group successful nan plaything authorities of Pennsylvania.

Vice President Kamala Harris described Trump’s rally Sunday astatine Madison Square Garden arsenic “more vivid than usual” and said he “fans nan substance of hate” earlier she flew to Michigan for a run event. President Joe Biden called nan rally “simply embarrassing.” In a uncommon move precocious Sunday, nan Trump run distanced itself from nan remarks connected Puerto Rico made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.

“The garbage he said astir is polluting our elections and confirming conscionable really small Donald Trump cares astir Latinos specifically, astir our Puerto Rican community,” Eddie Moran, politician of Reading, said astatine a news convention pinch different Puerto Rican officials.

With conscionable complete a week earlier Election Day, nan fallout underscores nan value of Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes and nan last-minute efforts to tribunal increasing numbers of Hispanic voters, mostly from Puerto Rico, who person settled successful cities westbound and northbound of Philadelphia.

Fernando Tormos-Aponte, an adjunct professor of sociology astatine nan University of Pittsburgh who specializes successful Puerto Rican authorities and electoral organizing, said nan timing of nan comments whitethorn spell problem for nan Trump campaign.

“When you harvester nan events that took spot yesterday pinch different grievances that Puerto Ricans have, you really are not engaging successful sound governmental strategy,” Tormos-Aponte said.

Trump did not mention nan contention during his first quality of nan day, astatine nan National Faith Summit successful Powder Springs, Georgia. The closest he came was erstwhile blimpish activistic Gary Bauer asked a mobility that included offhand praise for Trump turning Madison Square Garden “into MAGA Square Garden.”

“Great night,” said Trump, who planned to be a rally successful Atlanta later successful nan day.

Trump’s vice statesmanlike pick, Sen. JD Vance, was asked astir nan reproach during an quality successful Wausau, Wisconsin.

“Maybe it’s a stupid racist joke, arsenic you said. Maybe it’s not. I haven’t seen it. I’m not going to remark connected nan specifics of nan joke,” Vance said. “But I deliberation that we person to extremity getting truthful offended astatine each small thing.”

The Harris run released an advertisement that will tally online successful battleground states targeting Puerto Rican voters and highlighting nan comedian’s remarks. The comments landed Harris a show of support from Puerto Rican euphony prima Bad Bunny and prompted reactions from Republicans successful Florida and successful Puerto Rico.

Hinchcliffe besides made demeaning jokes astir Black people, different Latinos, Palestinians and Jews successful his regular earlier Trump’s appearance. On Monday successful Pittsburgh, Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, delivered remarks connected antisemitism successful America, a time aft nan day of nan Tree of Life synagogue massacre.

“There is simply a occurrence successful this country, and we either move h2o connected it aliases we move gasoline connected it,” Emhoff said.

Still, it was Hinchliffe’s quip astir Puerto Rico that drew nan astir attention, partially owed to nan surface science of nan election.

From Labor Day to this past weekend, some campaigns person made much visits to Pennsylvania than to Georgia, Arizona and Nevada combined, according to Associated Press search of nan campaigns’ nationalist events. The authorities has immoderate of nan fastest-growing Hispanic communities, including successful Reading and Allentown, wherever much than half of nan organization is Hispanic.

Pennsylvania’s Latino eligible elector organization has much than doubled since 2000, from 206,000 to 620,000 successful 2023, according to Census Bureau figures. More than half of those are Puerto Rican eligible voters.

The comedian’s remarks were played early Monday connected Spanish-language power successful Pennsylvania by 1 of Harris’ surrogates based successful Allentown, Pennsylvania, who called retired Trump for not issuing an apology beyond a connection from nan run saying “this joke does not bespeak nan views of President Trump aliases nan campaign.”

In cardinal Florida, U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, a Democrat whose territory covers neighborhoods pinch ample numbers of Puerto Ricans precocious moved from nan island, noted Monday that location are “huge numbers” of Puerto Ricans successful plaything states.

“We remember, and you cognize what, we are going to vote,” Soto said astatine a news convention called by Puerto Rican leaders. “That’s nan only point we tin do correct now.”

Harris said Monday that nary of nan vitriol astatine nan Madison Square Garden rally will support nan dreams and aspirations of nan American group but alternatively fans “the substance of trying to disagreement our country.”

She said Trump’s arena Sunday, successful which speakers hurled sadistic and racist insults, “highlighted nan constituent that I’ve been making passim this campaign.”

“He is focused and really fixated connected his grievances, connected himself and connected dividing our country, and it is not successful immoderate measurement thing that will fortify nan American family, nan American worker,” nan Democratic statesmanlike nominee told reporters.

Harris besides said: “What he did past nighttime is not a discovery. It is conscionable much of nan aforesaid and whitethorn beryllium much vivid than usual. Donald Trump spends afloat clip trying to person Americans constituent their digit astatine each other, fans nan substance of dislike and division, and that’s why group are exhausted pinch him.”

Harris besides said astir her proposals for Puerto Rico, specified arsenic creating a task unit to bring successful backstage companies to upgrade nan island’s electrical grid.

Trump planned to return to Pennsylvania connected Tuesday pinch a sojourn to Allentown aft delivering remarks to reporters astatine his Mar-a-Lago edifice successful South Florida.

___

Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Associated Press writers Mike Schneider successful Orlando and Will Weissert successful Washington contributed to this report.