Vice President Kamala Harris is leading former President Donald Trump by “less than one percentage point,” according to The New York Times’s polling average. This makes Harris’s “smallest lead” since the summer. No candidate has a significant lead in any of the seven states that might decide the election, making the battleground states extremely close. Even though her national lead has diminished, Harris is still competitive in the battlegrounds. Recent national polls from pollsters such as Times/Siena College and ABC News/Ipsos found that the race was close, Harris leading, or tied between the candidates; others, like the Wall Street Journal poll had the former president ahead of Harris by three points. This comes with a week left to the election. Follow Newsweek’s live blog for updates.
Trump rally speaker calling Puerto Rico ‘pile of garbage’ sparks fury
Acomedian’s controversial performance at former President Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden (MSG) rally has ignited widespread backlash after he referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” and made a series of racist remarks targeting Latino and Black attendees.
Tony Hinchcliffe, a stand-up comedian known for his provocative “roast” style comedy and hosting the podcast “Kill Tony,” faced swift backlash from prominent Democratic leaders following his Sunday appearance at the world-famous New York City venue, where his routine drew mixed reactions from the crowd.
The controversy erupted when Hinchcliffe asked, “Where are my proud Latinos at tonight?” before launching into a series of jokes about immigration and the Texas-Mexico border. “You guys see what I mean? It’s wide open; there’s so many of them,” he said, receiving scattered responses from the audience.
The comedian’s routine took a sharp turn when he compared Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, to ocean waste. “There is literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico?” Hinchcliffe said, prompting murmurs and silence from the crowd.
Democratic New York Rep. Ritchie Torres condemned the remarks on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Tony Hinchcliffe, who is one of the speakers at Donald Trump’s rally at MSG, felt the need to hurl a racist insult at the people of Puerto Rico. As a Puerto Rican, I am tempted to call Hinchcliffe racist garbage but doing so would be an insult to garbage. When casting their ballots at the voting booth, Latinos should never forget the racism that Donald Trump seems all too willing to platform.”
In an email to Newsweek, Trump senior advisor Danielle Alvarez said: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
Read more of Newsweek’s Adeola Adeosun article.
Campaign tracker: Where are the candidates today?
There is one week left until the election, and candidates are set to make final pitches to voters. According to his campaign website, Trump will discuss border security and crime at a press conference today in Austin, Texas. Additionally, he is scheduled to record a Joe Rogan Experience episode. On the other hand, Vance will be in North Carolina to give a speech and host a town hall meeting that will center on inflation.
Harris is in Houston, Texas, today for a high-profile rally with Rep. Colin Allred, the state’s Democratic Senate contender, who is running against Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican. This evening, Walz, the vice presidential candidate, will hold a “Friday Night Lights” event in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
