Pictures of US Presidential candidates, Former US President Donald Trump and US Vice President Kamala Harris, are displayed before the rally of Former US President Donald Trump at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, US, October 26, 2024.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Philadelhpia: Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign moved quickly Sunday to elevate and denounce racist and inflammatory remarks made by speakers at a rally for former President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Before Trump had even taken the stage, warm-up speakers had called Puerto Rico an "island of garbage," referred to Harris as "the devil" and "the Antichrist," and made racist or derogatory remarks about Latinos generally, African Americans, Palestinians and Jews.
The remarks at the rally came as Harris wrapped up a day in Philadelphia, where she spent time courting Pennsylvania's significant Puerto Rican population by visiting a local Puerto Rican restaurant.
While there, she talked about a new plan she announced Sunday to bring economic opportunities to Puerto Rico, discussed her visit there after Hurricane Maria, and said that even as a senator she had "felt a need and an obligation" to "make sure Puerto Rico's needs were met."
"This is not a new area of focus for me," she said. She received a warm reception from the crowd, with chants of "Sí, se puede."
Before the Trump rally Sunday, Harris had already taken aim at her Republican rival in a video message to Puerto Rican voters. She noted that, as president, Trump had resisted sending aid to the island after back-to-back hurricanes, adding that he had offered nothing but "paper towels and insults."
"I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader," she said.
The video was widely shared, and Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny posted it on Instagram. He is one of the biggest recording artists in the world and among the most influential Latino artists. Other celebrities with Puerto Rican backgrounds also shared the video, including Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin.
"Quite a split screen," Kevin Munoz, a Harris campaign spokesperson, said in a statement, calling the offensive language at the Trump rally "no surprise." The campaign also sent out a news release titled "All the Crazy Things (So Far) at Trump's 'Closing Argument' Madison Square Garden Rally."
The Trump campaign appeared wary of the political fallout from the "island of garbage" remark and other comments. A senior adviser, Danielle Alvarez, said in a statement, "This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign."
Fresh off a blitz of star-studded rallies, Harris focused on retail politicking in Philadelphia on Sunday as her campaign makes its final push to mobilize working-class communities and people of color to the polls.
In neighborhoods across the city, Harris delivered tailored messages to different groups of voters as she continued her effort to secure the crucial "blue wall" states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. It was Harris' 14th visit to Pennsylvania since she became the Democratic presidential nominee, and her seventh to the Philadelphia area.
"Victory runs through Philly," she said while visiting a Black bookstore, Hakim's Bookstore and Gift Shop. "It runs through Pennsylvania."
Harris started the day at a predominantly Black church, where she warned parishioners that "these next nine days will test us," and brought them to their feet when she told them, "We were born for a time such as this."
At a barbershop, Philly Cuts, she talked about the need to recruit and retain more Black male teachers, which was part of an economic agenda her campaign unveiled this month that was targeted at Black men.
Harris spent an hour at the barbershop speaking with several Black men, and was invited to sit in a "magical" chair at the back of the shop; the barbers said every candidate running for elected office who had sat in the chair had won her or his election.
Darryl Thomas, 52, the owner of Philly Cuts, said Harris had spent much of the time discussing what Black men were looking for from their next president. He said she had "good dialogue" with the group.
"Black males are the most disenfranchised individuals in America," he said. "This is a time when the playing field needs to be leveled and fair. We're not asking for extras."
Harris ended her day with a get-out-the-vote rally at a community center, during which she told energetic supporters they had the "power" to make their voices heard at the ballot box.
"There is too much on the line, and we must not wake up the day after the election and have any regrets about what we could have done in these next nine days," she said. "So let's spend these next nine days knowing we did everything we could."