Trump repeats claims about the border

Puerto Rico: “Floating Island of Garbage”: After the Hurricane Maria Deluge, Donald Trump Has Embedded America

After Hurricane Maria hit the island, Trump questioned the death toll and sparred with the mayor over the federal response to the disaster. During a visit to the island after the storm, he infamously threw rolls of paper towels into a group of people at a church collecting supplies.

Harris said that the federal government would work with the private sector and island leaders to find ways to create jobs and rebuild the power grid.

Vice President Harris was promoting a new pledge to boost Puerto Rico’s economy in Philadelphia on Sunday — contrasting her approach with that of former President Donald Trump — when her message got some unexpected traction thanks to her opponent’s rally in New York.

Puerto Ricans make up almost all of the 570,000 people in Pennsylvania who can vote in the election.

A comedian warming up the crowd at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” — drawing outrage from Boricuas far and wide, and boosting support for Harris’ message.

Former President Trump, the Republican nominee for president, stuck to his script of border enforcement, crime and the economy, as he sought to draw a contrast from his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.

“In less than four years, Kamala Harris has obliterated our borders,” Trump said in comments from his Mar a Lago resort. “They’ve unleashed war and chaos all over the world No person has caused so much destruction and death at home and abroad should ever be allowed to be president.”

In Pennsylvania, where he and Harris are in a virtual tie according to most credible polls, Trump started the day with false claims about election fraud. He claimed to be leading in all seven swing states, which are also tied. Families of people killed by migrants who are in the country illegally were the focus of his appearance, as was the reason for the presence of illegal immigrants. The president claimed that countries around the globe were sending criminals to the US in order to lower their own crime rates. Border crossings from the Southern border with Mexico are at levels close to those as when Trump left office in 2021.

Trump also blamed Harris for an increase in violent crime, which are down, according to FBI data. He also claimed credit for the recent stock market spike, though the economy has rebounded during the Biden years from the pandemic downturn more rapidly than most other countries around the world.

“This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” Danielle Alvarez, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said in a statement.

While several Republican lawmakers have distanced themselves from the comments, Sen.JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, urged Americans to stop being offended.

Bad Bunny, Harris, and the Puerto Rican Crisis: After Trump, Harris & the Puerto Rico Giant B-Bundunny

Puerto Rican celebrities disagreed with the comedian’s statements. Bad Bunny posted a video message from Harris promising to work to create more jobs and rebuild the power grid on the island, and other Puerto Rican artists followed suit.

Later Tuesday, Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Allentown, Pa. Harris, meanwhile, will return to the site of Trump’s Jan. 6 rally in Washington to lay out her case to voters.