NEW YORK — The beginning of Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden showcased opening speakers who made racist, sexist and crass remarks about Vice President Kamala Harris and Puerto Ricans.
Why it matters: Ugly comments by Trump and his supporters aren’t new. But early speakers at MSG unleashed rhetoric unprecedented in modern American history so close to an election.
The big picture: Harris is betting that enough voters will be repulsed by Trump and his supporters’ behavior to win next Tuesday.
- The remarks at Trump’s rally undermine his campaign’s effort to soften the former president’s image among voters who may like his policies but dislike his divisive and race-baiting rhetoric.
What they’re saying: Businessman Grant Cardone told the crowd that Harris “and her pimp handlers will destroy our country.”
- Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe said: “I don’t know if you know this but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
- Trump’s childhood friend David Rem called Harris “the anti-Christ.”
- Some speakers were more crude than those at normal political rallies as they talked about “f**king illegals” and called Hillary Clinton a “sick son of a bitch.”
Trump, for his part, said at the rally that the U.S. “is now an occupied country,” again described Democrats as the “enemy from within” and grossly exaggerated claims about a “savage” Venezuelan gang taking over the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado.
Between the lines: During the rally, Harris was visiting a Puerto Rican restaurant in northern Philadelphia.
- While visiting Freddy & Tony’s Restaurant, Harris pledged to help fix Puerto Rico’s electrical grid and create a “Puerto Rican Opportunity Economy Task Force.”
Zoom out: Spokespeople for the Harris campaign highlighted the split screen between Harris’ event and the rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally.
