Democrats make final campaign push amid fallout from Puerto Rico ‘joke’ at Trump rally

Democrats’ campaigning in the US presidential election kicked up another notch on Monday as the race entered its final stretch amid growing outrage over the anti-Puerto Rican remarks at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in New York.
Democrat nominee Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz appealed to young, first-time voters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen spoke in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – where the former US president described Mr Trump’s event in Madison Square Garden as featuring “the most racist, sexist, bigoted stereotypes”.
Before performing at a rally with Mr Obama in Pennsylvania, Bruce Springsteen said: “I’m Bruce Springsteen and I’m here today to support Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and to oppose Donald Trump and JD Vance.
“I want a president who reveres the constitution, who does not threaten but wants to protect and guide our great democracy, who believes in the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power, who will fight for women’s rights … [and] create a middle-class economy that works for all our citizens.”
At the event, Mr Obama told voters: “It’s not just policies that are on the ballot, it’s who we are.
“Whether this election is making you feel excited or scared, or hopeful, or frustrated, or anything in between: do not sit back,” the former president said. “Put down your phone and vote.”
Speaking in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania as Democrats make a final push for support, Mr Obama – sleeves rolled up and relaxed – ripped into Mr Trump with a blend of criticism and humour. “We have to reject the kind of politics of division and hatred that we saw represented” at Sunday’s Madison Square Garden rally, he said.
“Here’s a good rule,” Mr Obama said. “If somebody does not respect you, if somebody does not see you as fellow citizens with equal claims to opportunity, to the pursuit of happiness, to the American dream, you should not vote for them.”
In Wisconsin, the New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, appearing with the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, also addressed the racist remarks, specifically those made by the comedian about Puerto Rico. Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, said: “They knew exactly what they were doing; let’s dispense with this idea that this is a joke,” and added that Mr Trump’s words echoed those of Adolf Hitler.
Comic Tony Hinchcliffe, in an opening speech at Mr Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally, referred to Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage”.
Puerto Rico’s Republican Party chairman said on Monday that he would withhold his support from Mr Trump unless he apologised for racist remarks that the comic made about the US territory on Sunday.
While residents of US territories are not eligible to vote for president, Angel M Cintrón, the island’s GOP chairman, called on the former president to personally disavow the comments made by Mr Hinchcliffe.
Danielle Alvarez, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said in a statement that the Puerto Rico joke “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign”.
But in a letter to Trump posted on social media Monday night, the archbishop of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Roberto O. González Nieves, said the explanation fell short. “It is not sufficient for your campaign to apologise,” he wrote. “It is important that you, personally, apologise for these comments.”
Mr Trump, meanwhile, told voters in Atlanta, Georgia, that he was the “opposite of a Nazi”.
The former president also said Michelle Obama had made a “big mistake” by criticising him, as he responded Monday for the first time to her recent comments about his mental state.
“I always tried to be so nice and respectful,” said Mr Trump, who in 2011 spent weeks spreading the lie that Mr Obama, the country’s first black president, was actually born in Kenya, with the insinuation being that he was therefore illegitimately in office. He added: “She opened up a little bit of a box.”
While campaigning on Saturday for Ms Harris in Michigan, Ms Obama said some voters were ignoring Mr Trump’s “gross incompetence.” She said Trump had displayed “erratic behaviour” and “obvious mental decline,” and noted he had been found “liable for sexual abuse” in a civil case and that the former president was now a felon.
“She was nasty,” Mr Trump said at the Atlanta rally, adding: “That was a big mistake that she made.” – Agencies