Democrats escalate attacks on Trump after comedian calls Puerto Rico 'floating island of garbage'

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats stepped up their attacks on Donald Trump on Monday, a day after a comedian opening a rally for the former president called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” a comment that drew wide condemnation and highlighted the rising power of a key Latino group in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

Vice President Kamala Harris described Trump’s rally Sunday at Madison Square Garden as “more vivid than usual” and said he “fans the fuel of hate” before she flew to Michigan for a campaign event. President Joe Biden called the rally “simply embarrassing.” In a rare move late Sunday, the Trump campaign distanced itself from the remarks on Puerto Rico made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.

“The garbage he spoke about is polluting our elections and confirming just how little Donald Trump cares about Latinos specifically, about our Puerto Rican community,” Eddie Moran, mayor of Reading, said at a news conference with other Puerto Rican officials.

With just over a week before Election Day, the fallout underscores the importance of Pennsylvania's 19 electoral votes and the last-minute efforts to court growing numbers of Hispanic voters, mostly from Puerto Rico, who have settled in cities west and north of Philadelphia.