Vice President Kamala Harris said she “strongly” disagreed with comments made by President Joe Biden that have been seized on by Republicans as insulting to Donald Trump’s supporters, seeking to distance herself from a brewing controversy that threatens to undercut her momentum in the final week of campaigning.
“First of all, he clarified his comments. But let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” Harris told reporters on Wednesday before leaving on a campaign swing through three battleground states.
Biden in a call with a Latino group on Tuesday addressed remarks from a comedian at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday who denigrated Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been,” Biden said on the call.
The White House disputed characterizations of the remark, saying Biden intended to say “supporter’s” in specific reference to the comedian who made the derogatory comments.
The president himself sought to clarify his remarks on X, but Trump, fellow Republicans and conservative media have pounced on his comments, using it to try and move past Democratic criticism of the rally and anger among Latino groups over the initial dig at Puerto Rico.
The controversy threatens to overshadow Trump and Harris’ dueling trips to swing states on Wednesday, as the focus shifts to mobilizing supporters to head to the ballot box.
Voters on Wednesday also received a fresh dose of economic data, which show the US economy expanded at a robust pace in the third quarter as household purchases accelerated.
Here’s how the presidential race is shaping up on Wednesday:
Star-Studded Rallies
Trump and Harris are holding dueling star-studded events in Wisconsin to mobilize supporters in the key swing state, with the Republican former president campaigning with NFL legend Brett Favre and the Democrat bringing popular bands to the college town of Madison.
The candidates are fanning out to battleground states as the focus increasingly shifts to encouraging voters to cast their ballots after Trump and Harris both delivered their closing arguments in a bid to sway the few remaining undecideds.
After visiting Raleigh, North Carolina, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harris wraps the day in Madison, where she’ll be joined by singer-songwriters Gracie Abrams and Remi Wolf, British folk rock band Mumford & Sons and indie rock favorites Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner from The National.
Trump is holding rallies in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and then heads to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he will be joined by Favre, an icon in the town where he quarterbacked the National Football League’s Packers to a Super Bowl victory.
Trump Assails Biden
Trump revisited Biden’s remarks on Wednesday, criticizing the president during a rally in North Carolina.
“Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters, he called them garbage. And they mean it,” Trump said. “My response to Joe and Kamala is very simple. You can’t lead America if you don’t love Americans.”
The controversy over Biden’s remarks has offered Trump an opportunity to shift the narrative from the criticism his own campaign faced for the Madison Square Garden rally.
“We know it’s what they believe because look how they’ve treated you. They’ve treated you like garbage,” Trump added. “They treated our whole country like garbage.”
Economic Data
The Biden administration sought to take a victory lap on the latest economic data, highlighting accelerating consumer spending — which comprises the largest share of economic activity — and touting progress on tackling inflation, a major concern of voters and one of Harris’ top political vulnerabilities.
“Consumer spending is up, and so are savings on the back of good job opportunities, rising real wages and renewed optimism,” Lael Brainard, a top economic adviser to Biden, told reporters.
“It wasn’t so long ago when commentators were certain we would need a recession to beat the inflation caused by the pandemic, but it is now clear we’ve been able to bring inflation down to rates from before the pandemic, while growing faster than projected, and that didn’t happen by chance,” Brainard added, touting efforts to strengthen supply chains, spur energy production and invest in cutting-edge industries.
Election Night Plans
Harris will spend election night at her alma mater Howard University in Washington, DC, as results roll in, according to a person familiar with the matter who detailed her plans on condition of anonymity.
The vice president has often spoken about the importance of Howard, a historically Black college, in her life story — particularly in launching her toward a career in public service.
And she’s sought to highlight her ties to the institution in her bid to become the first Black woman president in US history, tapping networks for graduates of historically Black colleges and universities as well as fraternities and sororities to bolster her fundraising and voter outreach efforts.
In April 2023, she delivered a forceful speech at Howard vowing to fight to protect abortion rights, an issue Democrats see as crucial to drawing support from suburban women and independents.
Early-Voting Pitch
Harris at her first stop of the day in Raleigh, North Carolina, urged supporters to cast early ballots.
“We need you to vote early,” Harris said at her rally. “We have just six days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, and we have work to do.”
The vice president revisited the themes she laid out in a major address Tuesday night at the Ellipse in Washington, casting Trump as a candidate focused on his own grievances and ramping up divisions. She also made a case for own policies, touting an economic agenda to boost job growth and lower costs for US households and vowing to protect reproductive rights.
The rally was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters, disruptions which Harris used to distinguish herself from Trump.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy,” Harris said. “He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table.”
With assistance from Akayla Gardner, Nancy Cook and María Paula Mijares Torres.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.