By james art NEW YORK — There were heavy delays on Monday from the racist rhetoric at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sundaywith political pundits trying to gauge the effect on a presidential campaign that several polls say is a dead battle.
Trump apparently came to New York to use the nation’s media capital to make his closing arguments against Vice President Kamala Harris in a bitterly divided campaign. instead Trump’s team is on the defensive over the hate speech that echoed from the legendary rafters of “The Most Famous Arena in the World.”
Here’s what was said before Trump took the stage
An avalanche of criticism poured in on Trump’s campaign after a number of speakers used hate speech to rally the base. Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe was quoted as saying: “There is literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. Yeah, I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
“It was shocking, even by today’s standards, to call Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage,” New York Governor Cathy Hochul said.
Hinchcliffe also mocks Hispanics for not using birth control, shouted a black man in the audience with a reference to watermelons and Palestinians as stone throwers.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani took on the attack on the Palestinians.
“Palestinians are taught to kill us at the age of 2. They will not let a Palestinian into Jordan. They will not let a Palestinian into Egypt. And Harris wants to bring them to you,” Giuliani said.
Stephen Miller is a senior adviser to Trump.
“America is for Americans and Americans alone,” Miller said.
Puerto Rican communities everywhere are sounding silent
Puerto Rican flags flew at La Marquetta Monday in East Harlem, where officials gathered to condemn the rally.
Brooklyn Rep. Nydia Velazquez, the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in the House, was just one of many Latinos speaking out about comments made by Hinchcliffe.
“To come to New York and make these comments is a slap in the face to every Puerto Rican in New York and the 5 million Puerto Ricans on the mainland,” Velazquez said.
The Harris campaign moved quickly to capitalize on the controversy, pointing to Trump’s response when Hurricane Maria devastated the island.
“I will never forget what Donald Trump did. He left the island and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults,” Harris says in an ad.
“We’re here to push back, to tell Pennsylvania, to tell Wisconsin, to tell Michigan, to tell North Carolina, to tell everybody that they should vote against Donald Trump.” Beat him and send him back into retirement,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who represents Manhattan.
The Puerto Rico National Day Board issued a statement saying, “This insult will not diminish who we are or what we stand for, but it should remind us of the critical importance of voting on November 5.”
Luis Dávila, chairman of the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico, said he believed anti-Latino sentiment could influence the outcome of the election.
“The game of politics always dictates that when you’re this close to an election, you just can’t make unforced errors, and that was a huge mistake by the campaign, by the Trump campaign. There are over 400,000 Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania — 320,000 are registered to vote,” Davila said.
Will any of this matter? Political experts are of different opinions
CBS News New York’s Marcia Cramer spoke with two political experts about what that rhetoric might mean.
“If your viewers think that the people last night who made those comments about Puerto Rico and black people weren’t vetted by his campaign, you’re out of your mind,” political pundit JC Polanco said.
Polanco, who is also a lawyer and professor, was just one of many trying to gauge the effect of hate speech on voters, especially in battleground states.
Michigan, for example, has a large Palestinian population. North Carolina and Georgia have large black populations, and there are many Hispanic voters in Arizona and Nevada.
Political consultant O’Brien Murray said he doesn’t think it will hurt Trump.
“Everybody knows what to expect from Donald Trump. This is nothing new. But what he did was a missed opportunity for the Trump campaign and for Donald Trump,” Murray said.
However, Murray admitted he could help Harris in a tight race.
“It’s going to change the numbers on how many Harris voters are going to show up,” Murray said.
Polanco saw it differently, especially in the aforementioned swing states.
“Huge impact because you have people who were on the fence, who had amnesia. They didn’t know how to vote this election cycle, and I think it became clear last night that this is a guy who’s campaigning with racists. is a man who has racists rooting for him,” Polanco said.
The Trump campaign distanced itself from Hinchcliffe, saying, “This does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
Marcia Kramer
