General
Tuesday Briefing
Donald Trump disavowed racist comments from a rally.
The comedian Tony Hinchcliffe has a history of racist jokes.Credit…Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times
Could racist comments at a Trump rally hurt his campaign?
In the closing days of the 2024 campaign, Donald Trump and his allies have sought to tamp down criticism of inflammatory, racist remarks by speakers at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City, including a comedian’s reference to Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage.”
In a statement, a senior adviser to the campaign disavowed that comment — a rare break from the typical Trump ethos of never apologizing, never admitting error and trying to ignore controversy. (Trump did not, for instance, distance himself from other remarks about Black people, Latinos, Jews, Palestinians and women.)
It is one of a few signs that the Trump campaign is worried that their opponents’ descriptions of him as a racist and a fascist may be breaking through to segments of voters. In comments to reporters, Vice President Kamala Harris seized on the remarks. Trump, she said, “fans the fuel of hate and division, and that’s why people are exhausted with him.”
The view from Democrats: Harris campaign aides and close allies are growing cautiously optimistic about her chances of victory, saying the race is shifting in her favor.
Related: As Trump’s rhetoric grows more extreme, prominent Democrats like Michelle Obama say that Harris is being held to a double standard by voters and the media.
More on the U.S. election
The election is a week away.
Whoever wins the presidency, seeking asylum in the U.S. may never be the same.
Trump’s plan for vast tariffs would rock global markets and shake alliances. Economists described it as “a grenade thrown in the heart” of the international system.
Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, donated about $50 million to a nonprofit organization that is supporting Harris.
During her campaign, Harris has often talked about her mother, who died of cancer in 2009 and whom she calls her greatest influence.
Trump appears to be fueling speculation about what he is cooking up with House Republicans, prompting Democrats to worry about election fraud. Separately, a vast Republican network has been laying the groundwork of a plan that could be used to contest a Trump defeat.
Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us, and we’ll find the answers.