Donald Trump has been accused of fanning “the fuel of hate” and was urged to apologise as a row raged over a comedian called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" at a Republican rally.
Vice President Kamala Harris described Trump's rally on Sunday at Madison Square Garden as "more vivid than usual" and said he "fans the fuel of hate" before she flew to Michigan for a campaign event.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden called the rally "simply embarrassing" and in a rare move the Trump campaign distanced itself from the remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.
"The garbage he spoke about is polluting our elections and confirming just how little Donald Trump cares about Latinos specifically, about our Puerto Rican community," Eddie Moran, mayor of Reading, Pennsylvania, said at a news conference with other Puerto Rican officials.
The Archbishop of Puerto Rico called on Trump to personally apologise for the comments adding that Hinchcliffe’s comments “not only provoke sinister laughter but hatred”.
In a letter addressed to Trump, Roberto O. Gonzalez Nieves wrote: “Puerto Rico is not a floating island of garbage, Puerto Rico is a beautiful country inhabited by a beautiful and noble people..
He added: "I enjoy a good joke however humour has its limits. It should not insult or denigrate the dignity and sacredness of people... I call upon you Mr Trump, to disavow these comments as reflecting in any way your personal or political viewpoints.
"It is not sufficient for your campaign to apologize. It is important that you personally apologize."
“Le hago un llamado respetuoso para que aclare que estos comentarios no reflejan de alguna manera sus puntos de vista personales o políticos”, expresó el Arzobispo Roberto tras las expresiones sobre Puerto Rico en un evento político del expresidente Trump. pic.twitter.com/s0iVULV6Lo
— El Visitante PR (@elvisitantepr) October 28, 2024
With just over a week before Election Day, the fallout underscores the importance of Pennsylvania's 19 electoral votes and the last-minute efforts to court growing numbers of Hispanic voters, mostly from Puerto Rico, who have settled in cities west and north of Philadelphia.
Trump did not directly mention the controversy during his appearances in Georgia on Monday, instead choosing to respond to comments made by his former White House chief of staff, who revealed the convicted felon wished he had “German generals” while he was president.
The Harris campaign has seized on the comment and the vice president, in a radio interview last week, agreed that Trump was "a fascist."
During a Monday night rally at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Trump instead called Harris a "fascist" and said: "I'm not a Nazi. I'm the opposite of a Nazi."
Trump also warned that Michelle Obama made a "big mistake" by being "nasty" to him in a recent speech.
During his first appearance of the day, a National Faith Summit in Powder Springs, Georgia, conservative activist Gary Bauer asked a question that included offhand praise for Trump turning Madison Square Garden "into MAGA Square Garden."
"Great night," Trump replied.
Trump's vice presidential pick, Senator JD Vance, was asked about the insult during an appearance in Wausau, Wisconsin.
"Maybe it's a stupid racist joke, as you said. Maybe it's not. I haven't seen it. I'm not going to comment on the specifics of the joke," Vance said. "But I think that we have to stop getting so offended at every little thing."
The Harris campaign released an ad that will run online in battleground states targeting Puerto Rican voters and highlighting the comedian's remarks.
The comments landed Ms Harris a show of support from Puerto Rican music star Bad Bunny and prompted reactions from Republicans in Florida and in Puerto Rico.
Hinchcliffe also made demeaning jokes about Black people, other Latinos, Palestinians and Jews in his routine before Trump's appearance.
On Monday in Pittsburgh, Ms Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, delivered remarks on antisemitism in America, a day after the anniversary of the Tree of Life synagogue massacre.
"There is a fire in this country, and we either pour water on it or we pour gasoline on it," Mr Emhoff said.
Still, it was Hinchliffe's quip about Puerto Rico that drew the most attention, partly due to the geography of the election.
The comedian's remarks were played early on Monday on Spanish-language radio in Pennsylvania by one of Harris' surrogates based in Allentown who called out Trump for not issuing an apology beyond a statement from the campaign saying "this joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign."
Ms Harris said on Monday that none of the vitriol at the Madison Square Garden rally will support the dreams and aspirations of the American people but instead fans "the fuel of trying to divide our country."
She said Trump's event on Sunday, in which speakers hurled cruel and racist insults, "highlighted the point that I've been making throughout this campaign."
"He is focused and actually fixated on his grievances, on himself and on dividing our country, and it is not in any way something that will strengthen the American family, the American worker," the Democratic presidential nominee told reporters.
Harris also said: "What he did last night is not a discovery. It is just more of the same and may be more vivid than usual.
“Donald Trump spends full time trying to have Americans point their finger at each other, fans the fuel of hate and division, and that's why people are exhausted with him."
