Election 2024 Latest: With 1 week to go, Harris speaks in Washington as Trump stumps in Pennsylvania

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her campaign’s “closing argument” Tuesday from the same spot in Washington where former President Donald Trump helped incite a mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

One week out from Election Day, Harris’ address from the grassy Ellipse near the White House is designed to encourage Americans to visualize their alternate futures if she or Trump takes over the Oval Office in less than three months.

Trump opened his remarks to reporters at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday morning by saying Harris is running on a “campaign of destruction” and “of absolute hate,” accusing her team of “perhaps even trying to destroy our country.” He headed to Pennsylvania later in the day for a Building America's Future event in Drexel and a rally Tuesday night in Allentown.

Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

Here’s the latest:

Trump: ‘Every time I go outside, I see somebody from Puerto Rico, they give me a hug and a kiss’

Trump says the comedian who described Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage” probably shouldn’t have been at his Madison Square Garden rally.

Asked by Fox News host Sean Hannity whether he wished Tony Hinchcliffe hadn’t been there, Trump said he did.

“Yeah, I mean I don’t know if it’s a big deal or not, but I don’t want anybody making nasty jokes or stupid jokes,” he said. “Probably he shouldn’t have been there, yeah.”

Trump, in the interview, also said repeatedly that “Puerto Ricans love me,” and that he has great relationships with Hispanics and people from Puerto Rico.

He says, “Every time I go outside, I see somebody from Puerto Rico, they give me a hug and a kiss.”

He added: “I have unbelievable good relationship with Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican people. Who this comedian was, I have no idea.”

Trump says he knows nothing of the comedian who called Puerto Rico ‘an island of garbage’

Trump, in an interview with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity, said he knows nothing about the comedian who made a series of racist and vulgar jokes at his Madison Square Garden rally Sunday night, but says, “I can’t imagine it’s a big deal.”

“I have no idea who he is,” Trump said of Tony Hinchcliffe, whose remarks that night have drawn condemnation from Democrats and Republicans alike. “Somebody said there was a comedian that joked about Puerto Rico or something. And I have no idea who he is — never saw him, never heard of him. And don’t want to hear of him. But I have no idea.”

Trump acknowledged that “somebody said some bad things” that night, but tried to downplay concerns about insulting a critical voting bloc.

“They put a comedian in, which everybody does — you throw comedians in, you don’t vet them and go crazy. It’s nobody’s fault,” he said. “But somebody said some bad things. Now, what they’ve done is taken somebody that has nothing to do with the party, has nothing to do with us, said something, and they try and make a big deal.”

He again insisted that he had “done more for Puerto Rico than any president I think that’s ever been president.”

Rubio criticizes Biden’s comment condemning some Trump supporters

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio took the stage with Trump in Allentown to condemn some garbled remarks by President Joe Biden that appeared to call some of Trump’s supporters “garbage.”

Biden joined a Tuesday video call with the civic group Voto Latino and denounced comments that equated Puerto Rico to “an island of garbage” at a Sunday Trump rally at Madison Square Garden.

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” the president said. “His- his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and it’s un-American.”

Rubio told the crowd that Biden was talking about “everyday Americans who love their country.”

“I hope their campaign is about to apologize for what Joe Biden just said. We are not garbage. We are patriots who love America,” Rubio said.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement that Biden was referring to the rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as “garbage,” not Trump supporters.

Pennsylvania governor says he wouldn’t call Trump supporters ‘garbage’ as Biden did

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a high-profile Democrat backing Vice President Kamala Harris, says he would not call supporters of Republican nominee Donald Trump “garbage” as President Joe Biden did.

Speaking Tuesday on CNN, Shapiro was shown video of the comment Biden made earlier. He was asked for a response.

“I would never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any Americans even if they chose to support a candidate that I didn’t support,” Shapiro replied.

He said he would leave it to Biden if the president wanted to clarify his words.

Michelle Obama encourages people to vote at Georgia event

Michelle Obama took the stump Tuesday in Georgia, saying she was fighting not against Donald Trump but apathy.

The former first lady’s “When We All Vote” organization hosted a rally for more than 2,000 people at an arena in College Park, near Atlanta’s airport, in a slickly produced event that was was dominated by earnest pleas from a star-studded roster to vote.

Obama told attendees that “if you go out and get a crew together, you can decide who sits in the Oval Office.”

“You know how close this election is going to be,” Obama said. “Four years ago, the presidential election in Georgia was decided by less than 12,000 votes.”

The event was scrupulously nonpartisan, never mentioning the names Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, or even the words Democrat or Republican. But speakers drew freely on the civil rights history of the South, appealing to a Black voters’ sense of duty.

Obama spoke particularly against people who might find it not worth voting.

“If they respond by saying that they can’t trust the government or that all politicians are the same, ask them where they’re hearing that nonsense from,” she said. “Because the folks whispering that stuff into their ears, I guarantee you, do not have their best interests at heart.”

Two closing arguments show the stark choice between Trump and Harris

In the shadow of the White House, seven days before the final votes of the 2024 election are cast, Kamala Harris vowed to put country over party and warned that Donald Trump is obsessed with revenge and his own personal interests.

Less than 48 hours earlier inside Madison Square Garden, Trump called his Democratic opponent “a trainwreck who has destroyed everything in her path.” His allies on stage labeled Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” and said Harris, who would be the first woman to be president, had begun her career as a prostitute.

Two nights and 200 miles (320 kilometers) apart, the dueling closing arguments outlined in stark terms the choice U.S. voters face on Nov. 5 when they will weigh two very different visions of leadership and America’s future.

▶ Read more about Harris’ and Trump’s closing arguments

Trump campaign responds to Harris’ speech

Trump’s campaign is responding to Harris’ speech, calling it backward-looking.

“Kamala Harris is lying, name-calling, and clinging to the past to avoid admitting the truth — the migrant crime crisis, sky-high inflation, and raging world wars are the result of her terrible policies,” said Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt in a statement.

She notes Harris has been in office for nearly four years.

Immigrant and first-time voter calls Harris’ speech ‘powerful’

Benjamin Eiz, a Washington resident, says Harris’ speech was “powerful.”

The Venezuelan immigrant who got his citizenship two years ago will be able to vote in his first election next week. He said the portion of her speech about immigration was what resonated with him the most.

“She talked about how immigrants made America great.”

Harris closes her speech with a final appeal to voters

Vice President Kamala Harris urged voters Tuesday to “start writing the next chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told” by rejecting former President Donald Trump.

Harris used the finale to her closing argument speech in Washington, D.C. to say voters are “not a vessel for the schemes of wannabe dictators.”

“The United States of America is the greatest idea humanity ever devised,” Harris said. “In seven days, we have the power, each of you has the power, to turn the page, and start writing the next chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told,” she added.

Harris: ‘World leaders think Trump is an easy mark’

Harris attacked Trump’s competency on the international stage Tuesday, using her closing argument speech to question the former President’s ability to stand up to world leaders.

“World leaders think Trump is an easy mark,” Harris said, arguing that leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are “rooting for” Trump in this election.

Harris pledges to ‘restore’ abortion rights

Harris pledged to “restore” the abortion rights that were overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“I will fight to restore what Donald Trump and his hand-selected Supreme Court justices took away from the women of America,” Harris said.

The Supreme Court, with three Trump appointees, overturned federal protections of abortion in 2022. Abortion has since become one of the most motivating issues for the Democratic base in the 2024 election.

Harris said later in the speech that she would “proudly” sign a bill protecting abortion rights if Congress were to send her one as president.

Trump claims the Harris campaign bused people to Washington rally

Trump claimed during his rally in Allentown that the Harris campaign had bused people to Washington “because they couldn’t get anybody to show up there tonight.”

The Harris campaign touted that more than 75,000 people had gathered on the National Mall for Harris’ remarks tonight at the same venue where Trump spoke ahead of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Harris both distances herself and embraces Joe Biden in closing argument speech

Harris, speaking in front of the White House, both distanced herself from President Joe Biden and embraced her one-time running mate.

Harris said she has been honored to serve with Biden but she said she “will bring my own experiences and ideas to the Oval Office.”

“My presidency will be different because the challenges we face will be different,” Harris said.

Biden was in the White House behind Harris while she delivered her speech. Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee when Biden opted not to run for reelection in July.

‘Keep Donald Trump out of the White House,’ Biden says

President Joe Biden is reacting to a comic calling Puerto Rico garbage at a Trump rally last weekend by saying, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”

He made the comment while joining a national call organized by the advocacy group “Voto Latino.” It immediately reminded some of then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton dismissing Trump supporters during a fundraiser in 2016 by saying that “half” fit into a “basket of deplorables.”

Biden also urged those listening on the call to “vote to keep Donald Trump out of the White House.”

“He’s a true danger to not just Latinos but to all people,” Biden said of Trump. “Particularly those who are in a minority in this country.”

Biden also praised Harris, who has been careful to criticize Trump but not his supporters, as she actively courts Republicans she hopes might cross over and vote for her.

Harris takes one last opportunity to introduce herself to voters

Harris acknowledged one of the clearest critiques of her campaign on Tuesday, telling the audience that she understands “many of you are still getting to know who I am.”

Harris did not become the presumptive Democratic nominee for president until the summer, weeks after President Joe Biden decided not to run for reelection. That decision compressed the campaign timeline, denying Harris the months — and sometimes years — candidates usually have to introduce themselves to voters.

“I recognize this has not been a typical campaign,” Harris said, adding that she is “not afraid of tough fights against bad actors and powerful interests.”

“I will work every day to build consensus and reach compromise to get things done,” she said.

‘Our democracy doesn’t require us to agree on everyt

hing’

Harris deliberately tried to win over Republicans and former Trump supporters, telling the audience in Washington that “our democracy doesn’t require us to agree on everything.”

“Donald Trump has spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other,” she said. “That is who he is. But America, I am hear to tonight to say, that is not who we are.”

She added: “The fact that someone disagrees with us does not make us the enemy within.”

Several speakers at Trump’s rally address the Puerto Rican community directly

Tim Ramos, a former Allentown mayoral candidate, began his remarks by saying: “I’m a Puerto Rican man and I want to start by expressing my love for the island and people of Puerto Rico. ... We are a beautiful people from a beautiful island.”

He said Puerto Rican voters are “tired of empty promises, we’re tired of being told how to think, who to vote for,” and are dissatisfied with Biden-Harris economic and border policies. Puerto Rican voters need a leader who understands them, he said, and “Donald Trump is that leader.”

Puerto Rico’s shadow U.S. Sen. Zoraida Buxo also hit the Biden administration’s record on the economy and immigration, and she urged Puerto Rican and Hispanic voters broadly to “stay focused on what is truly important when you go to cast your vote. We need change.”

She added: “It’s easy to get distracted or misled by propaganda, emotional manipulation, and distortion of the truth and facts.”

The territory’s shadow representatives advocate for Puerto Rico but do not vote or hold seats in Washington.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, meanwhile, delivered some of his remarks in Spanish.

Harris takes the stage in Washington

Harris opened her speech in Washington by setting the stakes of next week’s general election.

“One week from today, you will have the chance to make a decision that directly impacts your life, the life of your family and the future of this country we love,” Harris said. “And it will probably be the most important vote you ever cast.”

Harris’ backdrop on Tuesday is the office she hopes to hold

The backdrop to Harris’ closing argument speech on Tuesday will be the office she hopes to hold: The White House.

The event is thick with symbolism. Held on The Ellipse, the park just south of the White House, the event will represent Harris’ clearest attempt to show why she deserves to be the person sitting in the Oval Office next year. The site of the speech also harkens back to the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol: It is where Trump gave a speech filled with lies about the election immediately beforehand.

Harris specifically mentioned in interviews before her remarks on Tuesday that the backdrop was picked to help voters envision having her in the Oval Office instead of Trump.

People attending the event have been standing in line for hours and are now waiting for Harris to take the stage. The back of the stage is lined with American flags, and large signs that read “Freedom” in block letters flank the set-up.

Two-time Trump voter backs Harris, says ‘it is time to turn the page’

Pennsylvania farmer Bob Lang, a two-time voter for Trump, explained on Tuesday how the former president lost his vote and why people who once backed the Republican should vote for Harris in 2024.

“We deserve better; it is time to turn the page,” Lang said at Harris’ closing argument event in Washington in the Ellipse Park just south of the White House.

“There is more at stake in this election than in any other election in my lifetime,” he added.

Lang, who spoke at a recent Harris event in Pennsylvania, spoke with his wife, Kristina Lang, who said both she and her husband were “proudly” voting for Harris. She voted for Trump in 2016 but not in 2020.

“Never in a million years did I think that I would be up on stage like this, supporting a Democrat for president,” she said. “But enough is enough.”

Harris will be at Howard University election night, source tells AP

Vice President Kamala Harris will spend election night at her alma mater, Howard University, in Washington, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss her campaign’s plans.

If elected, Harris would be the first graduate of a historically Black university to occupy the Oval Office.

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Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller contributed.

Haley says she last spoke with Trump before the Republican National Convention

Nikki Haley said Tuesday night during an appearance on Fox News Channel that she last spoke to the GOP nominee “back in June.”

Host Bret Baier asked the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador about Associated Press reporting from Monday that the Trump campaign had not reached out to Haley to stump for him. She was the last remaining Republican challenging Trump for this year‘s nomination when she shuttered her campaign following the Super Tuesday contests.

Haley had been a last-minute addition to the RNC speaking schedule and was not invited to speak until after the assassination attempt on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally in July.

She said Tuesday that she still supports Trump but also had criticism for some of the “overly masculine” tenor of his campaign that she earned could alienate women voters.