Republican Donald Trump went into damage control mode and tried to win over the Latino community on Tuesday after insulting comments about them by a speaker at a signature event of his campaign in New York on Sunday snowballed into a controversy. “Nobody loves our Latino community and our Puerto Rican community more than I do,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania, a critical swing State that he won narrowly in 2016 and lost narrowly in 2020. A speaker at the Trump rally had termed the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage.”
A majority of the population of the town in eastern Pennsylvania, — 150 km to the east of New York City — of 1.25 lakh are Latino or Hispanic. In 2020, President Joe Biden won Pennsylvania by 81,000 votes, and in 2016, Mr. Trump won it by 44,292 votes of the total 61.7 lakh votes polled. In both the elections, Mr. Trump lost the Lehigh County where Allentown falls — in 2020, by 14,000 votes. Polls indicate a very narrow lead for his rival, Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024 in Pennsylvania. More than 50 million people across the U.S. have already voted through early voting mechanisms and both parties are urging their supporters to come out and vote. “Vote, vote, vote,” Mr. Trump exhorted his supporters, and alleged the Democrats were trying to manipulate voting. While he reiterated all the issues that define his politics — promise of mass deportation of illegal immigrants, a Trump tariff to protect American manufacturing and avoiding global wars — the focus of the speech was on Latino voters.
Mr. Trump had Latino Senator from Florida Marco Rubio join him on stage as both tried to turn the tables on the Democrats on the ‘garbage’ barb. Mr. Biden, during a call to mobilise Latino voters simultaneous with the rally, said: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters….His, his demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable and it’s un-American.”
Mr. Rubio, who was invited to the stage by Mr. Trump, shared with the audience Mr. Biden’s comment. Mr. Trump was quick to draw parallels between Mr. Biden’s comment and his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton’s reference to his supporters as a “basket of deplorables.”
“Garbage, I think, is worse,” Mr. Trump said, before quickly turning it into a question of Mr. Biden’s mental state and internal rivalry among the Democrats. “But he doesn’t know. You have to please forgive him..” Mr. Trump said. “Please forgive him for not knowing what he said…honestly, he doesn’t.”
Mr. Trump also sought to suggest a wedge between Mr. Biden who was replaced as the Democrat nominee after campaigning began. “And I am convinced that he likes me more than he likes Kamala. But that’s a terrible thing.”
Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory in the Caribbean, about 1,000 miles southeast of Florida. Residents of the island cannot vote in the U.S. federal election, but those who have moved to the mainland can. Around 60 lakh people of Puerto Rico origin live in the U.S, and in Pennsylvania they are a consequential voting bloc.
Democrats and their allies had latched on to the garbage remark at the Trump rally, and Latino leaders from both parties condemned it. The Trump campaign distanced itself from the speaker, and clarified that the remarks did not reflect the opinion of the candidate. After Mr. Biden’s remarks drew flak, the White House clarified that he was referring to the one Trump supporter who was speaking, and his comments. As campaigning peaks, both sides have found in garbage, a potential keyword that both hope to turn in their favour.
Published – October 30, 2024 11:25 pm IST
