Lincoln Project releases ad targeting Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania
The anti-Trump PAC Lincoln Project has released an ad seizing on the backlash from a comedian’s derogatory joke about Puerto Rico at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally Sunday.
“We are Puerto Ricans and we are Americans, but Donald Trump doesn’t see us that way,” the ad's narrator says.
The 60-second digital ad, running in Pennsylvania and targeting Puerto Rican voters, features video of Trump visiting the island after Hurricane Maria and throwing paper towels toward victims of the deadly 2017 storm.
The ad then shows comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico’s being “garbage.”
“We are not your punch line. We know who we are. We are proud Americans, proud Puerto Ricans. And we see who you are. You are a racist. You are a liar. You are the one that is garbage, and we know what real garbage belongs — in the trash,” the ad concludes.
Trump is holding two campaign events in Pennsylvania today.
Bill Clinton has 15-minute exchange with pro-Palestinian protester
Former President Bill Clinton engaged with a pro-Palestinian protester for nearly 15 minutes during a Pennsylvania campaign stop today.
During their exchange, Clinton expressed deep frustration for not being able to move an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement across the finish line at the end of his presidency. He also apologized for not being able to more directly answer the protester's concerns.
The episode took place at a campaign stop at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg campus in Westmoreland County. During his roughly 50-minute remarks at his second Pennsylvania event of the day, a protester wearing a keffiyeh and a surgical mask stood up and demanded he explain how Harris could be expected to end the war while the U.S. provides Israel with weapons.
Her comments were initially met with groans and boos from rallygoers. One woman shouted, “Aw, come on!”
But Clinton said he would address her concerns later in his speech, adding that her question was fair. He began by detailing peace negotiations he led near the end of his second term, negotiations that fell apart at the last moment when, he said, the Palestinian leadership backed away from the agreement. The political realities in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza have changed considerably since then, he said.
“We’re going to have to build it again,” Clinton said. “The reason you should support Kamala Harris is not because she has a detailed plan, and she can’t have one. This thing was shattered in a million pieces [after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack], and the facts are different. … It’s the hardest thing in the world, but I know one thing. I think we agree on this: We can’t kill our way out of this.”
Clinton said Trump was likely to worsen the situation by being too favorable to the Israeli government and empowering “the most dogmatic and authoritarian parts of” it.
“I did know a lot about this,” he said. “I did everything I could to fix it. I wanted it fixed. It should have been fixed. It was a mistake not to take the deal. I have had other Arab leaders, who want privacy out of respect, call me and apologize for not trying to force them to take the deal.”
“Here’s the thing about it: We could be celebrating 25 years of peace between Israel and the Palestinian state,” he continued. “I can’t tell you how many nights since the last October I’ve had trouble sleeping because I think about what it could have been.”
Turning to the election, Clinton said the choice between Trump and Harris is going to occur “without regard to our ability to influence” the ongoing conflict.
“So you have to pick,” he said. “If you want peace there and you want it to be fair to both sides and lead to security for both sides, you have to pick the person that you think is most fair-minded and most likely to achieve that. I wish I could give you a more satisfying answer, but I can’t.”
Harris vs. Trump: Auto insiders weigh in on both candidates, top issues
The automotive industry has become a crucial topic during the presidential election as Michigan — home of the Motor City and 1.1 million automotive jobs — remains a critical swing state.
Harris, Trump and their running mates and supporters have made Michigan a second home in recent weeks as the campaigns attempt to win over undecided voters in the state.
Since 2008, whichever candidate has won the state has moved into the White House, including Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020.
Harris aims to 'reclaim patriotism' at closing argument rally
As attendees stream onto the Ellipse, upbeat music is blaring through the loudspeakers in a dance party atmosphere similar to other Harris rallies.
But something seems different here. Large red, white and blue banners proclaiming "Freedom" and "USA" are everywhere. Small American flags have been distributed to Harris supporters.
When asked about it, a senior Harris campaign official said the decorations are part of an attempt to “reclaim patriotism.”
“Why should Republicans be the party of patriotism?” this official asked rhetorically, adding that the Harris campaign also handed out flags and signs at the Democratic National Convention in August.
Another striking image from tonight's event near the White House: snipers setting up on top of a truck at the back of the rally in the shadow of the Washington Monument as the sun sets over the Ellipse.
Sen. Bob Casey says Puerto Rico remarks at Trump rally were 'awful' and 'vile'
Recent disparaging comments about Puerto Rico have enraged Pennsylvania's large Puerto Rican population, breaking through "like very few other things have in this whole campaign," Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said today in Allentown.
"Over and over again he says things or people on his behalf are saying things that are just vile," Casey said of Trump. "And all the Republican candidates, including my opponent, run away. They run for the hills."
Speaking at the same event, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. said it is not about just Trump’s base but also about independent voters who might split the ticket.
"Those are the people that are going to make judgments based on their conscience," she said. "And I hope that their consciences speak up to them and that prevents them from voting for somebody who can support such racist, vile statements."
Speaker Mike Johnson criticizes Obamacare and promises ‘massive reform’ if Trump wins
House Speaker Mike Johnson took a dig at Obamacare during an event in Pennsylvania yesterday, saying there will be “massive” health care changes in America if Trump wins the election.
“Health care reform’s going to be a big part of the agenda. When I say we’re going to have a very aggressive first 100 days agenda, we got a lot of things still on the table,” Johnson, R-La., said in Bethlehem as he campaigned for GOP House candidate Ryan Mackenzie, according to video obtained by NBC News.
“No Obamacare?” an attendee asked Johnson, referring to the law Democrats passed in 2010, also known as the Affordable Care Act.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker accelerates abortion advocacy on eve of the election
With a week until the Nov. 5 election, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a key Democratic surrogate and potential future presidential candidate, is making a last big push to help states attempting to advance their reproductive rights initiatives.
His nonprofit group, Think Big America — which has already invested millions of dollars in abortion-rights initiatives in four states — just expanded into four more states where questions are on the ballot: Maryland, South Dakota, Nebraska and Missouri, according to plans first shared with NBC News. Each state has a ballot question about abortion rights.
The group previously donated seven figures separately in Arizona, Florida and Nevada, which all are attempting to codify abortion rights in their states. In the rest of the states, which also include Montana, the investments are in the six figures. Think Big would not provide more specifics about donation amounts; a recent filing in South Dakota revealed last week it gave $500,000.
NFL player-turned-lawmaker Colin Allred has a new playbook to take on Ted Cruz
Democratic Rep. Colin Allred did not mince words when he faced off against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in the first and only Texas Senate race debate earlier this month. He called Cruz out for his anti-abortion stance, his decision to take a Cancún vacation during Texas’ historic winter storm in 2021, and his comments on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
“I took off my suit jacket and I was prepared to defend the House floor from the mob,” Allred said, recalling the Jan. 6 attack. “At the same time, after he’d gone around the country lying about the election, after he’d been the architect of the attempt to overthrow that election, when that mob came, Sen. Cruz was hiding in a supply closet.”
Cruz, who laughed off the assertion from across the stage, did not address Allred’s claim and did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
Trump claims he has 'done more' for Puerto Rico than any other president
Trump said he has "done more" for Puerto Rico than any other president, despite his administration withholding about $20 billion in hurricane relief for the territory after it was hit by a deadly hurricane in 2017.
"I think no president's done more for Puerto Rico than I have," Trump said during a roundtable in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.
The comment came after Maribel Valdez, a roundtable participant who said she moved from Puerto Rico in 1981, praised Trump amid the backlash he has faced over a comedian's racist jokes during a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden over the weekend.
Trump made no mention of the remarks by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who referred to Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” during Sunday’s rally in New York.
"I want you to know that Puerto Rico stands behind you and Puerto Rico loves you," Valdez said.
"Well, we love it. I know it very well, and we helped you through a lot of bad storms," Trump said.
A 2021 watchdog report found that Trump obstructed a probe examining why officials in his administration blocked roughly $20 billion in relief funds for the U.S. territory after Hurricane Maria in 2017.
A racist joke against Puerto Ricans has created aftershocks that may shake up the election
Ahead of Trump’s appearance today in the heavily Latino city of Allentown, Pennsylvania, a comedian’s racist joke about Puerto Ricans at the former president’s Madison Square Garden rally drew fresh blowback.
In an editorial endorsing Harris, Puerto Rico’s largest national newspaper, El Nuevo Día, expressed anguished outrage over the remark made Sunday at the New York rally.
“Today, all of us who love this beautiful Garden of America, and of the world, feel aching inside and our hearts are tight with rage and pain,” the editorial stated.