The Latest: All eyes on Pennsylvania as candidates spend final day campaigning there
The presidential campaign comes down to a final push across a handful of states on the eve of Election Day.
Kamala Harris will spend all of Monday in Pennsylvania, whose 19 electoral votes offer the largest prize among the states expected to determine the Electoral College outcome. Donald Trump plans four rallies in three states, beginning in Raleigh, North Carolina and stopping twice in Pennsylvania with events in Reading and Pittsburgh, then ending in Michigan
Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
Here’s the latest:
Voter Voice: ‘This time around, I know I’m going to be very anxious’
Tien Nguyen, 34, a tech industry worker in Philadelphia, planned to have friends over Tuesday night for what she’s calling the “Election Night Anxiety Fest.”
“We’re going to eat our emotions,” Nguyen said as she waited for the Harris rally in Philadelphia to start.
“This time around, I know I’m going to be very anxious, and I just want people around,” she said.
She doesn’t expect to know who’s president before the party ends — she said she thinks it will take until the week’s end.
Nguyen hopes to see Harris named the first woman president, but her background also resonates with her as they both come from a family of immigrants. Nguyen was born to Vietnamese parents in the Philippines, then raised in the Philadelphia area since she was 3.
She said she thinks Harris’ background gives her more “perspective and empathy” than the men who have filled the Oval Office to date.
“Hopefully having a woman president there leads to more world peace, less conflict,” she said.
The differences between Harris and Trump on full display in penultimate rallies
Harris and Trump’s differences have long been clear. But on Monday night in Pittsburgh, their dueling rallies drove home just how large the gulf between them truly is.
Only 9 miles (14 kilometers) separated the two in the key Pennsylvania city. Trump spoke at PPG Paints Arena, home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, in one of his standard arena rally setups. Harris spoke at Carrie Furnaces, a historic steel facility with an event that nodded to Pittsburgh’s place as the heart of the country’s steel industry.
Harris spoke for 10 minutes. Trump spoke for 950% more, clocking in an hour and 45 minutes.
Harris was introduced by comedian Cedric the Entertainer and seen off by a performance from artist Katy Perry. Trump brought conservative commentator Megyn Kelly on stage and touted the support of Roberto Clemente Jr., the son of the famed Pittsburgh Pirate outfielder.
Harris is closing her campaign by barely mentioning Trump directly. “This is it,” Harris said at her event. “Tomorrow is Election Day, and the momentum is on our side.”
Trump repeatedly invoked Harris — and her nearby rally.
“If you vote for Kamala, you will have four more years of misery, failure, and disaster, and our country may never recover,” Trump told his audience, earning boos. Later, he added, “Kamala has a little rally going on. And when I say little, I mean little.”
Vance refers to Harris as ‘trash’ while speaking in Atlanta
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, has referred to Kamala Harris as “trash.”
Speaking Monday in Atlanta, Vance ripped Harris by referencing a comment made by President Joe Biden suggesting that Trump supporters were “garbage.” Biden, in turn, was responding to a joke by comic Tony Hinchcliffe at Trump’s recent Madison Square Garden rally in which Hinchcliffe likened Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage.”
The Trump campaign has faced days of criticism from Harris allies over Hinchcliffe’s joke. It has focused on Biden’s reference to Trump supporters instead.
Vance told the Atlanta audience that Americans should not be called “garbage” for supporting border restrictions or “wanting to be able to afford groceries.”
“In two days, we are going to take out the trash in Washington, D.C., and the trash’s name is Kamala Harris,” he said.
The comment stirred anger among Harris allies online. Levar Stoney, the mayor of Richmond, Virginia, said Vance had “made one of the worst mistakes of his political career.”
More than 81 million people have already cast ballots in the 2024 election
That’s about half the number who voted overall in 2020. More people voted early that year because of the pandemic. Still, several states have reported record levels of early voting because former President Donald Trump has urged Republicans to vote that way now.
Early voting data only tells you who has cast ballots, not who they voted for. We’ll have to wait for Tuesday night to find that out. But, meanwhile, you can pour over the early vote data in your state.
Authorities debunk video falsely claiming election fraud in Arizona
The nation’s federal law enforcement and election security agencies are debunking a video falsely claiming election fraud in Arizona, linking it to an ongoing Russian disinformation scheme and warning on the eve of Election Day that the Russia-linked efforts risk inciting violence, including against election officials.
The joint statement by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency also cited an article posted recently and amplified by Russian influence actors that falsely claimed officials in swing states plan to orchestrate election fraud using such methods as ballot stuffing and cyberattacks.
Federal officials say they anticipate that Russian actors will release additional “manufactured content” through Election Day and in the days and weeks after polls close.
Trump touts endorsement from son of Roberto Clemente
Trump touted the endorsement of Roberto Clemente Jr., the son of the MLB Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, a prominent Puerto Rican who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Trump hopes Clemente Jr.’s backing can help him with Hispanic voters after a comic’s joke at his Madison Square Garden rally offended many Puerto Ricans.
“My father, the name Clemente, what it means is goodwill and unity,” Clemente said at Trump’s Pittsburgh rally. “I believe that your team is going to bring it all home.”
Clemente said he wants to help Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump says will have virtually free reign to oversee health programs despite his history of promoting theories that contradict the overwhelming consensus of scientists.
Trump called the endorsement “a great honor.” Clemente Jr. had his own brief MLB career.
Katy Perry performs at Harris rally
Katy Perry took the stage after Harris spoke in Pittsburgh, singing a mashup of songs starting with her 2013 hit, “Dark Horse.” Before singing a piece of 2010’s “Part of Me,” she shouted, “It’s my body, and my choice,” and “We’re almost there!”
In 2016, the singer was a major campaigner for Hillary Clinton. She both spoke at and performed at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia that year, and her song “Roar” was a staple of the Clinton campaign.
‘We’ve got one day left to get this done,’ Harris says in Pittsburgh
Harris urged her supporters not to be shy about asking people in their lives to get out and vote.
“Pittsburgh, listen, we’ve got one day left to get this done,” Harris said in the penultimate speech of her campaign. “So now we work to get out the vote. Let’s reach out in these next 24 hours to family and friends and classmates and neighbors and coworkers.”
Harris’ remarks were notably short in Pittsburgh. She spoke for under 10 minutes before singer Katy Perry took the stage to perform.
“I am asking for your vote,” Harris said, adding later, “Your vote is your voice and your voice is your power.”
Harris now travels to Philadelphia for the final rally of her campaign.
Harris: ‘Momentum is on our side’
Harris projected the confidence her campaign is feeling at the penultimate event of her presidential run, telling an audience on Monday night in Pittsburgh that “the momentum is on our side.”
“This is it,” Harris said with Carrie Furnaces behind her, a historic steel facility that nodded to Pittsburgh’s history as the heart of the country’s steel industry. “Tomorrow is Election Day, and the momentum is on our side.”
“We must finish strong,” Harris added. “Make no mistake, we will win.”
This is not Harris’ final stop of the night. She will head to Philadelphia for the final event of her campaign.
Megyn Kelly delivers fiery speech in support of Trump at his closing message rally
It was a full-circle moment for the two after Trump and the broadcaster feuded bitterly and publicly during Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Kelly defended Trump against recent controversies, including his repeated pledge to “protect women,” and pressed his case against Harris as weak on the border.
“He got mocked by the left by saying he would be a protector of women,” Kelly said. “He will be a protector of women and it’s why I’m voting for him. He will close the border and he will keep the boys out of women’s sports where they don’t belong.”
Trump stood to the side, grinning and beaming, as Kelly spoke.
Kelly was a Fox News star in 2016 when she infuriated Trump at a GOP debate with a question about his treatment of women. He bitterly attacked her after the debate, and his supporters joined in, leaving her worried about threats.
Trump later boycotted another debate telecast by Fox because Kelly was one of the moderators.
Kelly left Fox for NBC News, an ill fit where she was taken off the air following an uproar when she suggested it was OK for white people to wear blackface on Halloween. She now hosts a SiriusXM satellite radio show.
Cedric the Entertainer introduces Harris at her Pittsburgh rally
The standup comic and actor declared, “She is not a demagogue, and yet she is not demure.”
A Missouri native, Cedric the Entertainer is known for appearing on “The Steve Harvey Show,” in the “Barbershop” movies and in Spike Lee’s standup concert film “The Original Kings of Comedy.”
Podcaster Joe Rogan endorses Trump
Joe Rogan, the nation’s most-listened-to podcaster, announced on the eve of the election that he’s endorsing Trump.
Rogan, in a post on X promoting his interview with Trump supporter Elon Musk, made a compelling case for the Republican presidential nominee and said, “I agree with him every step of the way.”
“For the record, yes, that’s an endorsement of Trump,” he added.
Trump late last month sat for a three-hour interview with Rogan for his podcast.
Voter Voice: Trump’s final rally in Grand Rapids will be ‘a very important moment in history’
Paul Henley, a military veteran from the Grand Rapids area, was attending his first Donald Trump rally Monday night in western Michigan with his 15-year-old son.
“I just thought it was a very important moment in history,” said Henley. “Regardless of whether Trump wins or loses – I do hope he wins – it will be his last rally.”
Henley added that “it’s an important kind of closure on history, on this chapter, this tumultuous time in America.”
While Henley said that he didn’t necessarily have an issue with absentee voting, he planned to vote on Election Day. He supports Trump due to his “fiscal policies” and Trump’s ability to create “peace through strength” in the Middle East during his time in office.
Whoever wins the election, Henley said that he is hopeful for a peaceful transfer of power, “assuming there’s a free and fair election and everything was on the up and up.”
“Whenever they decide to close the election out, if Kamala Harris is the president of the United States, then begrudgingly she’s the president,” said Henley. “I say begrudgingly, because I will always respect the office of the president.”
“I just wish we could focus on our commonalities and our common interests and work toward the common good and strive to make America the best country you can be,” Henley added. “You know, one where kids can ride their bikes till the lamp posts turn off.”
Trump continuously refers to former President Obama with emphasis on his middle name, Hussein
At his recent rallies, Trump has been invoking “Barack Hussein Obama,” emphasizing his predecessor’s middle name.
Obama’s critics frequently used his middle name during his presidency along with other ways to make him appear foreign. Trump was a leading proponent of the “birther” conspiracy.
Trump claimed he got more votes in his 2020 reelection campaign than he did four years earlier.
“I mean, Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, he didn’t do that,” Trump said.
He has also recently used the middle name while saying Obama was a divisive president.
Trump is once again growing wistful as he ends his campaign
“It’s sad because we’ve been doing this for nine years,” Trump said in Pittsburgh after inviting members of his family to join him on stage.
Trump is holding his second-to-last rally of the 2024 election — and says he’ll be done once this ends. His rallies became a cultural phenomenon during his 2015 campaign, drawing thousands of people who often camped out overnight or waited for hours in freezing cold or blazing heat.
“I have one left. And remember the rallies are the most exciting thing. There’ll never be rallies like this,” he said. “This is never going to happen again.”
Trump says this will be his last campaign for the White House — and he’s finishing it just as he started his first.
He is leaning into hardline immigration rhetoric and vowing to “liberate” the country from what he describes as an “occupation.”
It’s rhetoric that has animated his core supporters since he declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination — and that still earns him some of his loudest applause. His call for the death penalty for any migrant who kills a U.S. citizen drew hoots and whistles and a “USA!” chant.
Several of Trump’s children join him on stage in Pittsburgh
Trump invited several of his children on stage as he spoke nostalgically about the end of his campaign.
He told a story about his youngest son, Barron Trump, teaching him about technology.
“Do I have good kids?” Trump said to loud cheers. “Are my kids here? Where are my kids?”
He was joined on stage by Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and his wife Lara, along with Tiffany Trump and her husband. He said Barron was watching from home and Ivanka Trump “loves the whole thing.”
Several of Trump’s children joined him on stage at another rally earlier Monday in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Michigan GOP chair says he is ‘very confident’ Trump will win
Ahead of Donald Trump’s final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan — the same place he closed out his 2016 and 2020 campaigns — state party chair Pete Hoekstra said he feels “very confident” that Trump will carry the state and win another four years in the White House.
“I’m optimistic. Very bullish on Michigan,” Hoekstra told The Associated Press.
Republicans have also focused on election security in Michigan, but on Monday night, Hoekstra said that “so far” he felt good about the security of the election, but “you never know what you don’t know.”
“Overall, we’re feeling good. We’ve got a great effort in place,” said Hoekstra, adding that a “war room” was in place to take calls if there were any issues with voting tomorrow.
Trump in his speech paints migrants as killers, as he often does
Trump says he wants to see the successful Penn State wrestling team compete against migrants, painting a picture of people crossing the border illegally as strong and nasty.
“I want the migrants to go against the champion, and I think the migrant might actually win,” Trump said, describing migrants — as he often does — as killers who’ve spent time in jail.
He said he met the wrestlers recently and told them “they might be the only guys in the country who can beat the hell out of the migrants.”
He had a similar riff at a rally earlier Monday.
Immigration has been Trump’s signature issue since the day he announced his first campaign for president. He often uses dehumanizing language to describe migrants and massively inflates the danger posed by immigrants, who commit crimes at lower rates than native-born Americans.
Andra Day belts Billie Holiday for Kamala Harris
The election may be a nail-biter, but Andra Day said at a rally for Harris in Pittsburgh that she has “complete faith” when it comes to the voting power of the people of Pennsylvania.
“I love women in positions of power,” she said in her introduction.
Then she launched into a cover of Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child,” a nod to her role as Holiday in 2021’s “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” It earned Day an Oscar nomination. Day also performed an original song, “Empty,” from her latest album “Cassandra.”
In 2020, Andra Day performed her hit “Rise Up,” what became an unofficial anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement, during President Joe Biden’s virtual inaugural parade.
Trump speaks dismissively of Beyoncé’s appearance at Harris rally
Trump’s comments drew boos from his supporters for the megastar, who spoke at a Harris rally in Houston but did not perform.
“Beyoncé would come in. Everyone’s expecting a couple of songs. There were no songs. There was no happiness,” Trump said. Harris supporters who were there might dispute his characterization of the raucous rally.
Then Trump offered some advice to fellow politicians who want to appear with celebrities: “Always put the stars on after you. That way they stay.”
Trump promises to solve all of America’s ills if he wins the election
“A vote for Trump means your groceries will be cheaper,” Trump says. “Your paychecks will be higher, your streets will be safer, your communities will be richer, and your future will be brighter than ever before.”
Trump has claimed his plans to increase energy production will help him lower prices, even as he plans to dramatically raise tariffs.
He’s repeating his campaign’s closing message that: “Kamala broke it. I will fix it.”
Trump: ‘We do not have to settle for weakness, incompetence, decline and decay’
Trump is beginning his Pittsburgh speech by painting a bleak picture of America under Democratic leadership and promising to fix it. He says Americans have suffered “catastrophic failure, betrayal and humiliation.”
“We do not have to settle for weakness, incompetence, decline and decay,” Trump said. “With your vote tomorrow, we can fix every single problem our country faces and lead America, and indeed the whole world, to new heights of glory.”
Trump on stage at his penultimate rally in Pittsburgh
The rally is a redo of sorts after Trump’s first try at a closing message speech went off the rails.
In a rally at Madison Square Garden in Trump’s native New York City, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe spoke first and made a joke calling Puerto Rico a pile of garbage, offending many Puerto Ricans and disrupting Trump’s efforts to build support among Hispanic voters.
Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, though they can only vote if they live in one of the 50 states.
Trump has distanced himself from the comedian but has not denounced the joke.
Georgia poll worker arrested for mailing bomb threat, Justice Department says
Federal authorities have arrested a Georgia election worker accused of sending a letter threatening poll workers he wrote to make it seem like it had come from a voter he had gotten into a fight with earlier.
Nicholas Wimbish, 25, of Milledgeville, Georgia, got into a verbal altercation with a voter while serving a poll worker at the Jones County Election Office in Gray, Georgia, last month, the Justice Department said.
The next day, prosecutors say he sent a letter from a “Jones County Voter” to the the elections superintendent. The letter said Wimbish was “conspiring votes” and “distracting voters from concentrating.” It said Wimbish and others should “should look over their shoulder” and that “I know where they all live because I found home voting addresses for all them.”
Prosecutors say Wimbish wrote at the bottom of the typed letter: “PS boom toy in early vote place, cigar burning, be safe.”
When authorities interviewed Wimbish about the letter, he blamed it on the voter, according to court records.
He’s charged with mailing a bomb threat, conveying false information about a bomb threat, mailing a threatening letter and making false statements to FBI agents.
There was no lawyer listed for Wimbish in court records. A message was left at a number listed for him in public records.
Trump to take the stage soon in Pittsburgh
The event at PPG Paints Arena will serve as Trump’s campaign’s closing message of the race, aides say.
While the arena’s upper level seating has been blocked off — and some seats remain empty in the lower sections — Trump has drawn a crowd of thousands to the venue, which has a capacity of 14,000 to 19,000, depending on how the seating is arranged.
Trump has been drawing smaller crowds in the closing stretch of the campaign than he did in previous races.
That could be, in part, because he has been returning again and again to the same battleground states, sometimes speaking in the same places — and even the same venues — where he spoke just days earlier.
More than 20 states are willing to send National Guard troops to Washington if needed, officials say
National Guard officials say more than two dozen states have indicated they would be willing to send Guard troops to Washington if needed and requested in the coming weeks following the presidential election and in the runup to the inauguration.
The District of Columbia has not yet made any formal request for Guard troops. But officials across the government have been meeting and preparing for the possibility that the U.S. Capitol could once again be rocked by violence around the certification of the election by Congress on Jan. 6 and the inauguration two weeks after that.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Col. Jean Paul Laurenceau, chief of future operations for the National Guard Bureau, said it is not yet clear how many Guard troops will be needed or requested this year.
He said it will depend on what the District of Columbia wants but noted that the National Guard Bureau and the states are leaning forward in anticipation of a request for assistance.
A new American citizen on the Texas border votes for the first time
After living in the U.S. for over 60 years and never attempting to seek citizenship, Carlos Salas said he was compelled to “wake up” to his civic duties.
He resides in Alamo, Texas, just 8 miles (13 kilometers) from the border. This year, at age 78, he voted for the first time in his life.
Born in Veracruz, Mexico, Salas arrived in the U.S. at age 14. He has spent the past 30 years as a photographer traveling around the Rio Grande Valley, the southernmost part of Texas. He photographs families at special events like quinceañeras. Occasionally he walks to Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas in Mexico to pick up a souvenir for his wife.
Salas said the fear of being returned to Mexico kept him from seeking citizenship and the right to vote. But this year he said he’s driven to the polls out of concern for those who, like him, are hardworking immigrants seeking safety and shelter in the U.S.
Washington state reaches 5 million registered voters
Washington state officially reached the milestone of having 5 million registered voters on Monday, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Additionally, 10,059 voters registered on Oct. 28, the deadline for registering or updating voter registration online and via mail, setting a state record for online voter registrations in a single day. Eligible voters can still register to vote or update registration in person at voting centers until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Nearly 2 million Washington voters had already returned their ballots as of Oct. 31.
Harris gets out her own vote in Pennsylvania
Harris went canvassing in Pennsylvania on the eve of Election Day, visiting two homes in Reading as she campaigned throughout the state.
Harris, and the considerable motorcade she travels in, pulled up to a home where three people waited for the Democratic nominee.
“Hi guys,” Harris said.
“Oh my God,” said the family, seeing the vice president on their porch.
“Sorry for the intrusion,” Harris added. The family said they planned to vote on Tuesday morning and that they had made up their minds, but they did not say who they were backing.
Harris, accompanied by two campaign volunteers, then walked a few doors down, where a woman told the vice president, “You already got my vote,” and gave her a hug as dogs barked in the background. She told the vice president that her husband, who shook Harris’ hand as he emerged from the house, planned to vote Tuesday.
“It’s the day before the election and I just wanted to come by and say I hope to earn your vote,” Harris told the woman.
The Democratic nominee could also be heard telling the women about needing to “find common ground,” a familiar line from her stump speech.
Trump arrives in Pittsburgh
Trump has arrived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for his third of four rallies today.
Supporters have gathered on the streets near the venue to watch his motorcade pass.
Voter Voice: ‘We cannot truly be free until every person has the same human rights’
“I’m anxious. I think we all are,” said Nancy Julian of Pittsburgh.
But she said it was important to turn out to support Harris, whom she said she has admired since Harris was on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Bradyn Yahner of Altoona, wearing a camo-style Harris-Walz hat, said he shares the vice presidential nominee‘s affinity for hunting and camping.
“You can be a supporter of those things as far as guns go and still understand that the U.S. does need better gun restrictions,” he said.
He was attending with Katrina Shedd of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. They were feeling hopeful about the election, saying the energy here is even stronger than at an earlier Harris rally they attended in Erie.
“I’m here fighting for women’s rights, gay people’s rights, trans people’s rights,” Shedd said. “We cannot truly be free until every person has the same human rights.”
Sarah Kesner of Pulaski, Pennsylvania, said she was backing Harris because she supports democracy, “and I don’t support bullies, and he (Trump) always has been one.”
Her son, Joshua Kesner of Hubbard, Ohio, wearing a “Veterans for Harris “ T-shirt, said the vote was important to him as an Army veteran.
“We all, when we join the military, take an oath to defend the Constitution,” he said. “That means voting for the candidate who will defend the Constitution, rather than trample on it.”
Harris went to Reading to make a point about Trump. She left with a bag of plantains, cassava and rice
Harris, flanked by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, mingled with diners at Old San Juan Cafe, a Puerto Rican restaurant in Reading, a Northeast Pennsylvania city with a large concentration of Puerto Ricans. She asked about school, the restaurant and what kind of food she should take to-go.
Harris did not mention a comedian telling a recent crowd at a Trump rally that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage,” but she didn’t need to — the scene of Harris ordering Puerto Rican food with imagery from the island everywhere was enough to prove the point.
The Democratic presidential nominee eagerly looked on as the owner walked her through what they had to offer. At first, she said she was interested in a “spicy taquito,” but after going through the rice, plantains, pork and cassava, Harris added, “I want that too. I’m very hungry. I don’t get to eat as often as I like.” She paid for her order with a credit card.
“I’m very happy to be here,” Harris said. “I’ve been reading about your restaurant.”
After she and Ocasio Cortez touted the Latino owner of the cafe and the work that went into the restaurant, Harris said: “I have a saying, I eat no for breakfast. Which means I don’t hear no.”
Pennsylvania has become a key part of the final day of the campaign between Harris and Trump. Both were in Reading on Monday.
In some states, millions more people are voting early compared with 2020
Millions more Americans in some states chose to vote early compared to the last presidential election, despite the unusually high advance voting due the COVID-19 pandemic at the time.
In New York, nearly 3 million advance ballots have been counted compared to just over 1.5 million advance voters in 2020. This year, advance votes amongst registered Republicans in Louisiana, as well as the battleground states of Florida and North Carolina, outpaced 2020’s numbers.
In those same states, and in the additionally closely-watched Arizona, advance votes totals amongst registered Republicans is greater than Democrats right now.
Voter Voice: ‘I’m really excited to vote’
Alondra Cortes, who attended Harris’ Allentown rally, said it made her cry with happiness just hours before Cortes — a first-time voter born and raised in Puerto Rico — becomes the first in her family to vote in a mainland U.S. election.
“This is my first rally ever. I am a first time voter, so it’s really, really nice. Some tears were shed. I’m really excited to vote,” Cortes, 21, said.
“She’s really inspirational, especially for a minority like me, so I’m really excited to vote for her,” she added, speaking about Harris.
Cortes, a senior at Moravian University, said she has class in the morning and then work, but she’ll go vote with her friends and hopes to celebrate after that, since they’re all first-time voters.
Harris drives over an hour to put focus on disparaging joke told at Trump rally
Harris’ supporters were chanting “Si se puede” and “Kamala” as the vice president’s motorcade pulled up to Old San Juan Cafe, a Puerto Rican restaurant in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Harris’ stop, her third of the day in Pennsylvania, has a clear focus: Call out Trump for allowing a comedian at his recent rally at Madison Square Garden to label Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Trump has not apologized for the comedian’s comment, but his campaign attempted to distance itself from the remark.
That didn’t work, and the comment has dominated the closing days of the campaign.
Harris, who has four scheduled events in the commonwealth, drove over an hour from Allentown to visit the cafe in Reading, a Northeast Pennsylvania city with a large concentration of Puerto Ricans and other Latinos. Supporters lined the streets as Harris arrived at the restaurant.
Voter Voice: ‘She’s the only one who can do something for this country’
A crowd gathered outside Old San Juan Cafe, a Puerto Rican restaurant in Reading, Pennsylvania, to catch a glimpse of Harris.
“I’m so proud that she’s in our neighborhood,” said Juan Rivas, 66, a Dominican American who lives just a block from the restaurant. “She’s the only who can do something for this country. I don’t think Trump with his hypocrisy, and his hate of Hispanics can do anything. He only thinks about himself and the rich, and even when he tries to benefit himself, he leaves a trail of debts behind him.”
Trump had also been in Reading earlier Monday, hosting a rally at Santander Arena.
Rivas said that he has several Puerto Rican friends and they were all equally disgusted by comments made against the island during Trump’s rally.
“Whatever they say about a Hispanic, they say about me,” said the retiree, who had already mailed his vote for Harris.
His wife walked out of their home to take photos of Harris supporters that waited for Harris behind a police line.
“I’m so excited,” Claudia Guzman, 52 said. “I never thought the vice president would come here. Tomorrow I vote for Kamala. Women are coming to power.”
By The Associated Press
