By james art Vice President Kamala Harris spent the day criticizing former President Donald Trump for his rally at Madison Square Garden.
Harris campaign proxies took advantage of comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s remarks at Sunday’s rally, speaking to several speakers in front of former President Donald Trump, when he joked that Puerto Rico was a “floating pile of garbage.” On Monday, Harris hit out at the rally more generally, saying it showed Trump was divisive.
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“Well, in short, I think Donald Trump’s event last night at Madison Square Garden really underscored a point that I’ve been making throughout this campaign: He’s focused and actually fixated on his grievances, on himself, and on dividing our country,” Harris told a group of reporters.
She praised the support of celebrities such as Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez, who backed Harris after they were offended by Hinchcliffe’s joke.
“I’m very proud to have the support of people like Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez and others who supported me before that nonsense last night at Madison Square Garden and support me because they understand that they want a president of the United States who is about uplifting people , not to berate, not to call America a ‘trash can,’ which is what Donald Trump is doing — those are the words he uses,” Harris said.
At another stop, she said Trump’s message at the MSG rally was not new.
“What you did last night is not a revelation. It’s just more of the same and maybe more alive than usual,” Harris said. “Donald Trump spends all his time trying to get Americans to point fingers at each other, stoking the fuel of hatred and division, and that’s why people are tired of him.”
Hispanic Harris campaign operatives banked on Hinchcliffe’s Puerto Rican jab translating into support for Harris, with Harris Hispanic Victor Martinez going so far as to call the joke an “October surprise” for Puerto Ricans.
“This is a gift with a bow from the Trump campaign,” he said A politician. “This is what we needed to activate the Puerto Rican community, to remind the Puerto Rican community who he is.”
The Trump campaign quickly distanced itself from Hinchcliffe’s joke, saying “this joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” in a statement.
Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) dismissed the joke Monday, saying both Democrats and Republicans need to learn to “take jokes.”
Byron York reported that there were a significant number of Latinos at the MSG rally who spoke personally with several Puerto Rican Trump supporters. He reported that although the joke bombed, Puerto Rico supporters were largely unoffended.
“Honestly, I had no idea it was going to make headlines. It wasn’t until later that I went to X and saw that the AOC and Tim Walz were freaking out about it,” said one Puerto Rican rally supporter, Engel Paulino. “I have a lot of friends from Puerto Rico who will vote for Trump. I think it’s safe to assume that Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke isn’t going to change that. No one even talks about it in person. I’m still on the train with many supporters. But for some reason the internet can’t get over it.
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Harris’ campaign has already started airing ads about Hinchcliffe’s remarks, even using audio from the event, with Harris saying, “I’ll never forget what Donald Trump did. He abandoned the island and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults,” referring to the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
The Democratic National Committee also put up targeted billboards with the comments, reports said A politicianin areas where Trump will campaign, including Allentown on Tuesday.