Donald Trump and Kamala Harris launched a frantic last week of U.S. election campaigning Wednesday, with the Democrat distancing herself from comments by President Joe Biden that appeared to label Trump supporters "garbage."
Harris traveled to North Carolina and onward to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, focusing again on three of seven battleground states that could determine who wins the closest election in modern U.S. history.
Republican Trump was also in North Carolina on Wednesday -- in the town of Rocky Mount, about an hour's drive from Harris's Raleigh rally -- and was then to head to Wisconsin, where he will appear alongside U.S. sports star Brett Favre.
Trump is expected to reject the election result if he loses, with the Republican already seizing on isolated irregularities caught by election officials to amplify his claims of widespread "cheating."
On Wednesday, Harris had hoped to be basking in the afterglow of a speech attended by tens of thousands outside the White House, where she warned her rival was unstable and itching for unbridled power.
Instead, she was fending off questions about Biden's apparent gaffe when the president reacted to a warm-up speaker at a Trump rally referring to the island of Puerto Rico as "a floating island of garbage" in an off-color joke that risked alienating Latino voters.
"The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters," Biden said, before the White House sought to clarify that he was referring to Trump's rhetoric, not to his supporters.
"Let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for," said Harris, Biden's vice president.
At his Rocky Mount rally, Trump said Biden had "finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters."
"My response to Joe and Kamala is very simple: you can't lead America if you don't love Americans," the Republican said, adding that Harris and Biden were "low-lifes."
In North Carolina, Harris hammered home her campaign's message to "turn the page" on former president Trump, leading the crowd in chants of "we are not going back!"
"This is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance and out for unchecked power," said Harris, echoing her speech outside the White House the night before.
There, Harris had spoken at the very spot where Trump stirred up a mob that went on to attack the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in a violent attempt to keep him in power even though he lost the 2020 election to Biden.
But the vice president also gave an optimistic vision of the United States' future, with the White House lit up behind her.
Harris has pushed for the votes of undecided moderates, and in Raleigh she contrasted her leadership with Trump, who has repeatedly called political opponents "the enemy within."
"I don't believe people who disagree with me are the enemy," she said. "He wants to put them in jail, I'll give them a seat at the table."
On Wednesday, Trump took to social media to repeat his claims of voter fraud, appearing to set the stage for a repeat performance around the unfounded claim that his 2020 loss to Biden was rigged.
He denounced what he said was "cheating" at "large-scale levels never seen before" in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania.
At his North Carolina rally, Trump again cast doubt on the fairness of voting machines and called for a return to paper ballots.
He also referred to Harris as a "simpleton", "corrupt," "grossly incompetent" and "failed."
A day earlier, Trump had engaged in damage control on Puerto Rico, saying "nobody loves our Latino community and our Puerto Rico community more than I do."
His campaign on Wednesday made a fresh plea for campaign donations by referencing Biden's comments on his supporters.
"My patriotic supporters are the BEST PEOPLE in the country -- I LOVE YOU!" he said.
One person who will not be voting for Trump on November 5 will be actor and former Republican governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, who endorsed Harris.
"Rejecting the results of an election is as un-American as it gets," he said of Trump.
Inflation and the economy have been key issues this election, and on Wednesday new data showed solid economic growth solid despite a slight slowdown.
© 2024 AFP
75 Comments
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PTownsend
misanthropic reactionaries that need someone to tell them how and what to believe would be a better description, except for those pushing for a violent overthrow of the government, but like one religious leader was reported by some to have said, they've always been with us. Hopefully many of them will shift to Hungary or the Russian Federation maybe Texas, Alabama or Florida, where their politics are better suited.
starpunk
Kamala is trying to 'save face' here and step beyond Joe's shadow and that's OK. She has her own agenda to promote and needs to show that she is her own woman and a lacky to no one, not even Joe.
And Traitortrump keeps on screaming like the loudmouth geek that he is and he sinks deeper and deeper into his pit of hatred, violence, crimes, lies, selling himself out.
And as for the MAGA cultists being 'garbage', if the shoe fits you wear it. Or the cap.
As Bob Marley said, 'Coo-coo-coo! (Coo-coo-coo!), Cluck-cluck-cluck! (Cluck-cluck-cluck! )'.
sakurasuki
Be honest, anyone think that Puerto Rico will be better with president from other of the isle?
https://time.com/4960647/us-turned-its-back-on-puerto-rico/
https://centerforhealthjournalism.org/our-work/insights/why-does-puerto-rican-island-vieques-not-have-hospital-6-years-after-hurricane
Newgirlintown
The irony that Trump is the one lying and trying to steal the election (again) seems to be lost on a lot of his cult followers.
Joe
I wish Joe would shut his yap, but he was obviously talking about the collection of racists, xenophobes, anti-semites, general goobers and Rudy Giuliani.
Trump is desperate to deflect from his embrace of these scum bags and Joe gave him a straw to grasp at.
Blacklabel
”appeared to” lol
like we don’t even have ears or a video of him saying it. The gas is lit.
dagon
Trump left out how they are 'fat pigs' and he loves their low info and poorly educated MAGA masses.
All on record.
bass4funk
So why is Joe undermining her?
https://x.com/collinrugg/status/1851728821659332646?s=46&t=YGWP_lcRZjddiWlx4QxURQ
But she hasn’t don’t that, as of today, Trump is ahead of every battleground state and a tie in WI.
Yeah, more garrulous banter which is not helping her or the Democrats. The problem here for her is, she spent more time talking about Trump than giving specifics on policies and that comment from Biden yesterday that Trump voters are garbage will have a very reverberating negative effect and then trying to change the transcripts doesn’t help libs at all.
As a sitting President you want to call half of the nation garbage? Lol, yeah, good luck with that, please go for it.
Mpqholygrail
This ^
Blacklabel
But but he has a stutter! they said.
Then: he was only calling the comedian “garbage”
then: not the comedian either, just the joke was “garbage”
until they found an even less believable explanation somehow. An Apostrophe but in spoken not written speech. Lol
now: so anyway, Trump said…….(and Joe may not ever speak again publicly)
Joe
Where as Trump without misspeaking called the entire country a garbage dump.
But sure, let’s fixate on an obviously unintentional slip of the tongue.
Mpqholygrail
Glad I am over here. I can’t wait for the ripples to happen after the election.
xin xin
"appeared"? biden said it point-blank. whereas the MSG blabber was by a professional insult comedian. so this article is fine-doctoring the biden incident. not fair.
ulysses
Sir, it says Donald’s mental decline is getting worse, is that true????
Except that he isn’t sir, how can that happen????
Yes sir, the concept of a plan has so many details!!!
Yes sir and donald called America a trash can, that is acceptable I think!!!
bass4funk
Too late, he can’t unsay what he said, and trying to walk it back and make excuses won’t help him or his party just like it didn’t help Hillary with calling Trump supporters deplorables.
Huh?
Blacklabel
so do I, John, so do I.
ulysses
I am glad you are trying to overcome it sir!!!
why sir
donald sure know how to spin stuff sir!!
Mic drop moment sir ha ha ha
we will allow donald to speak from prison sir, though only to other inmates!!!
plasticmonkey
The only voters who are "offended" (i.e., faux outraged) by Biden's comment are MAGA cultists.
Undecided voters can do a side-by-side comparison of offensive comments by Trump and Biden. Or Harris. Or any other Democrat.
According to Xwitter.
Windmills? Low-flow toilets? Hannibal Lecter?
ulysses
Yes sir, only donald can do that or just pretend he is ignorant. He does that really well doesn’t he sir, almost like if it’s real!!!
Jay
Calling millions of Americans “garbage” can't be blamed on senility, it's a Freudian slip and proves how much disdain the Democrats have for normal regular hard-working Americans.
Meanwhile, Harris will do anything to distract from her own disastrous track record and dangerous push toward endless conflicts abroad with their war-hungry agenda.
STOP THE WARS - vote Trump/Vance/RFK/Tulsi.
DaDude
She said there is nothing she would change about Joe's presidency. Joe said she was a part of every decision he made good or bad. She is basically the female version of Joe.
Geeter Mckluskie
Here's exactly what Biden said:
Here's Politico's reporting of it:
dagon
Trump loves the low info, poorly educated.
And to make sure the MAGA GOP always have them one of his main policies is eliminating the Department of Education and making sure the quality of your education depends on your legacy capital and zip code.
https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/how-project-2025-would-devastate-public-education
Yrral
Jay, White people have look down on other White people as being trash, even Trump, Biden misspoke,but Trump didn't
owzer
Biden let his true colors show. White House “clarification” is PR nonsense.
owzer
Thing is, Trump was in office for 4 years. He never put a political opponent in jail. He never tried. Guess who actually tried though!
Ken
Where is the lie though? Biden has a point calling out Trump supporters like that lol. But true there are more ways to show how Biden and Harris are different and have different policies and such
ulysses
Yes sir, donald has never hidden his colors, it oscillates between some shade of orange or brown.
That man is a chameleon sir, don’t you agree???
Yrral
Naive foreigner White people in America,have all look down on their own kind, even you MAGA supporters know your relatives view you the same , Biden just got his word towards the wrong person
Ken
But when Trump says worse things about Americans you pretend to forget? Oh okay lol
Jay
Anti-war RFK and Tulsi Gabbard deflected to the Republicans... the Democrats now have the pro-war Cheneys. That should tell you every thing you need to know about how the frame has completely shifted, and hopefully who you should be supporting.
Lifelong Democrats: Wake up. This isn't the party you grew up with.
Kamala Harris and the Democrats have shown time and again their willingness to align with the military-industrial complex, fueling conflict and promoting endless wars under the guise of “defending democracy.” Harris, along with establishment Democrats, have backed policies that keep U.S. forces entangled overseas, driving up defense spending and enriching defense contractors rather than prioritizing peace and diplomacy. By framing every foreign policy issue as a battle between “good” and “evil,” the Democrats manipulate public sentiment to justify intervention, with little regard for the toll it takes on American lives, resources, and the stability of other nations. This approach ultimately funnels billions into the hands of defense contractors while leaving regular hard-working Americans people footing the bill, sacrificing both their tax dollars and the country’s reputation.
bass4funk
And a few undecided as they should be.
And if they lean more to the Trump sensible side, that comment doesn’t help, at all.
Which gives us more insight, yes. Not good for her or the msm control support backup teams
Yes
funkymofo
The pearl clutching by the maga right is hilarious. Hypocrisy much?
bass4funk
Absolutely and the Dems love the mega-rich donor Wall Street class.
They should be, parents have the right in a say of wanting their kids to have a decent education in the public school area and to not be taught by Marxist activists pushing an all lib one-sided political agenda. This is why more parents are respectively sending their kids to private schools, better choice all around.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Biden's not running for president. Nobody is seriously suggesting Kamala should have vetted her president better four years ago.
bass4funk
But he is the President for now
The more they try to explain it, the worse it looks for them, just own it and apologize and move on, defending it just looks horrible.
Ken
As much as Trump has been showing his true colors there is no undecided. If there was are they waiting for a Jan 6th part 2? No because at that point they are just as bad as him and his crooks
Peter Neil
of course he will, the same brett farve, the defendant in a $77 million scam of mississippi social services funds.
trump loves his fellow defendants.
ulysses
That’s SNL level Gold Star comedy sir, you are really good at this!!!
Brilliant sir, can you define Marxism???
JJE
The garbage comment is another textbook 'basket of deplorables' sneering putdown aimed at ordinary hardworking people.
In fact, it's worse.
ulysses
Sir, we MAGA never apologize.
Every speaker at donald’s rally said what MAGA think about every day.
No apology needed!!!
bass4funk
What does that rant word salad even mean??
Ken
Failure to lock up Trump over his crimes, Trump dividing the American people based on morals or his lack of, and him calling everyone who disagrees a fascist despite him becoming the new definition of the word?
bass4funk
https://www.realclearpolling.com/maps/president/2024/no-toss-up/electoral-college
Yes, and they are voting for the convicted felon, thanks Joe.
I voted.
Yrral
Jay, everything dealing with Trump involved race,you are naive and not necessarily the color of your skin,but the color of your money and those with less of the green is trash to Trump,
bass4funk
If Canadians like Trump or if they have US citizenship, they can vote, go for it
Yrral
It means some of your relatives,think of you as MAGA trash
Zaphod
Well, looking at the comments here it is safe to say that while Harris might lose the actual election, if it was held in the JT readers forum, she would win resoundingly. The establishment followers are a solid majority...
Jay
The Real Canadians I know would if they could - the normal, hardworking Canadians from inner BC and the oil-gas provinces, not the Far Left loonies in Toronto and Vangroover.
dagon
It is pretty simple to make effective rhetoric if you were not effectively impaired like Biden are beholden to the duopoly rhetoric .
If you resonate with the MAGA rhetoric about Puerto Rico being garbage and immigrants eating pets yes you are racist garbage.
If you have legitimate economic concerns that are not being addressed we are going to reach out with effective policies to serve those not being benefited by this economy.
I imagine Bernie Sanders or Michelle Obama could have articulated like that and slam dunked the election.
bass4funk
That entire comment had negative racial overtones all throughout
bass4funk
I disagree
rcch
Kamala: “ Biden's not running for president! “—Neither was the comedian whose last name people don't even know.
—
The President of the United States called half the country garbage. He just handed the presidency to Trump. Thanks, Joe.
—
( Breaking News: Trump is talking to the media from his own personalised garbage truck and Vivek is working with garbage men.
Another brilliant moment from the Trump campaign!
LMAO! )
plasticmonkey
lol
Nothing sane or sensible about voting for Trump.
Underworld
This may impact Joe’s chances of getting elected to President.
In other news the polls have swung towards Harris, making this election a true tossup.
bass4funk
Which poll? The lastest that just came out
https://www.realclearpolling.com/maps/president/2024/no-toss-up/electoral-college
ulysses
’Lastest’ now that is a MAGA word sir!!!
Sir it says Donald’s campaign hasn’t paid for his rally venues in 6 months. Is that true?????
Underworld
bass4funk
In other news the polls have swung towards Harris, making this election a true tossup.
The Economist
Why Kamala Harris’s chances of victory just jumped
https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/10/30/why-kamala-harriss-chances-of-victory-just-jumped
Blacklabel
Zero “joy” here, just hate and anger and racism.
is it not going so well as you thought? lol
stormcrow
They're both basically tied with each other. Unfortunately, the Democrats usually win the popular vote but lose the electoral vote in presidential elections, so Harris is going to need to be better than tied in a popularity contest with Trump to win, isn't she? I'd rather see her win than him, but I'm worried.
Blacklabel
not even a poll.
just her “probability of victory”. Based on….what?
oh, based on us writing this article saying so! and hiding it behind a paywall, so you gotta just take our word for it that “something good” happened.
Cards fan
I swear, authoritarians are the biggest cry bullies.
They'll make every excuse in the world for why it's okay to make outrageous claims about immigrants eating cats, or call Puerto Rico garbage, or crack watermelon jokes about African Americans, but God forbid anyone mispeak and call them trash. The horror! Give me a break.
Underworld
Blacklabel
https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/10/30/why-kamala-harriss-chances-of-victory-just-jumped
No. An average of polls. Like 538 and Nate Silver.
An average of polls. You don’t have to believe it.
Blacklabel
vulnerable Democrat senator:
doesn’t agree with what?
joe didn’t call Trump supporters garbage…right?
so she doesn’t agree that “the comments” were garbage- so she is fine with them?
never underestimate that ability of Joe to eff things up, a man once said.
Seth Majer
Like calling the other side "nazis" and anti-white comments by fellow users?
ulysses
I agree sir, the rally at MSG was nothing but hate, anger and racism!!!
Not at all sir, Donald’s campaign is out of cash and dropping so fast they don’t know what’s hit them!!!
Jayszee
I don't know if it's only me but I don't like how she smiles.
bass4funk
Nate Silver is a pollster what are you talking about?
So which polls? They have names right?
In other words 1-2 polls vs 15 for Trump
https://x.com/ericldaugh/status/1851770173503549578?s=46&t=YGWP_lcRZjddiWlx4QxURQ
Seth Majer
Good news everyone, I voted for-
Trump/Vance
Steve Garvey for Senate
Hochman for L.A. District Attorney
You are welcome!
Cards fan
oh boo hoo. Don't want to be called that? Stop jacking their rhetoric.
ulysses
Sir it says Donald’s campaign has no more money, is that true@?????
Blacklabel
dropping where?
what poll or betting market or prediction model?
Jimizo
Stupid comment from Biden.
Trump playing to the kind of stupid people who believed the 2020 election was stolen.
A lot of stupidity.
konjo4u
The old man's behavior is a bit more erratic than usual. I think he is genuinely afraid. Of course, he is a convicted felon about to be sentenced, so there is that.
Peter Neil
trump’s continuing mental decline, where his rants are just a series of lies woven with gibberish and vance’s puppetry and willingness to slavishly invent conspiracies to behold himself to a deranged old man show neither have any moral compass at all.
and maga on their team who will go to any length to not see or acknowledge it are just a sad reflection on state of american society. going so far as to cheat and manipulate an election through treachery and lies.
no guarantees the u.s. will remain as a republic. hubris is a common thread of collapsed empires. and they all collapse. they collapse from within from arrogance and apathy toward any moral compass.