Amid backlash over Puerto Rico remarks, Trump repeats border claims

Former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, stuck to his playbook on border control, crime and the economy as he sought to create a contrast with his Democratic rival, Vice President Harris.

“In less than four years, Kamala Harris has erased our borders,” Trump said in comments Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago resort. “They unleashed war and chaos throughout the world. No man who has caused so much destruction and death at home and abroad should ever be allowed to be president.”

Trump kicked off the event with unfounded claims of election fraud in the “bad spot” of Pennsylvania, where most credible polls have him and Harris in a near-tire tie. He said he is leading in all seven swing states, which are also tied. His appearance featured families of those killed by migrants who were in the country illegally; both he and they blamed Harris and the Democrats for the presence of illegal immigrants in the country. Trump also incorrectly suggested that countries around the world were sending criminals to the United States to reduce their crime rates. Border crossings on the southern border with Mexico are at levels close to those just like when Trump left office in 2021.

Trump also blamed Harris for the rise in violent crime, which has declined. according to the FBI. He has also taken credit for the stock market’s recent run-up, even though the economy has recovered from the pandemic-induced slump faster than much of the world during the Biden administration.

Trump’s remarks, made just a week after the last day of voting, came a day after his campaign cleaned up the mess after a comedian warmed up the crowd at Trump rally at Madison Square Garden called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” prompting outrage from Boricuas everywhere and increasing support for Harris’ message.

“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.

On Tuesday, Trump called “love” at an event at Madison Square Garden “breathtaking.”

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“There was love in that room,” he said. “There was love for the country.”

While several Republican lawmakers also distanced themselves from the comments, Sen. J.D. Vance, Trump’s running mate, dismissed the controversy, urging Americans to “stop being so offended by every little thing in the United States of America—I’m so tired of it.” ”

Puerto Rican celebrities condemn comedian’s remarks: Megastar Bad Bunny published by Harris video message pledging to work to create more jobs on the island and restore its fragile power grid to its 45 million people. Instagram followers, and other Puerto Rican artists followed suit.

Puerto Ricans living on the island are not allowed to vote in presidential elections. But the Boricua, who live on the mainland, do just that—and in Pennsylvania, a key state in this year’s election race, they wield significant influence.

According to the Institute of Latino Policy and Politics at the University of California, Los Angeles, about 580,000 Latinos in Pennsylvania could vote in this election — and most of them are Puerto Ricans.

Trump plans to hold a rally in Allentown later Tuesday, while Pennsylvania Harris will return to the site of Trump’s Jan. 6 rally in Washington to make her case to voters.

This story will be updated.