Election updates: Trump claims he didn’t hear comedian’s racist comment at rally

(WASHINGTON) — As the race reaches one week until Election Day, Kamala Harris is set to deliver her “closing argument” Tuesday night on The Ellipse — in the same spot where Donald Trump rallied his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, to march on the U.S. Capitol nearby.

Trump will try to preempt Harris’s remarks when he speaks to reporters Tuesday morning at Mar-a-Lago after declaring he’s “the opposite of a Nazi” on Monday night in Georgia. He holds a rally later in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with a large population of Puerto Rican Americans.

More than 47 million Americans have voted early

As of 5:45 a.m. ET on Tuesday, more than 47 million Americans have voted early, according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida.

Of the total number of early votes, 24,243,105 were cast in person and 23,384,971 were returned by mail

There is now just one week until Election Day.

Trump claims to ABC’s Scott he didn’t hear comedian’s Puerto Rico comment, doesn’t denounce it

The former president denied knowing the comedian who made a slew of racist, sexist and vulgar comments at his rally at Madison Square Garden, ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott reports.

That comedian, Tony Hinchcliffe, drew headlines in part for calling Puerto Rico an “island of floating garbage.”

“I don’t know him, someone put him up there. I don’t know who he is,” Trump told ABC’s Scott.

Trump also insisted he didn’t hear any of the comments, even as they’ve been played on television and written about extensively. When asked what he made of them, he did not take the opportunity to denounce them, repeating that he didn’t hear the comments.

Trump expressed confidence that he will win the White House with just a week to go.

Harris set for closing pitch on The Ellipse near the Capitol and White House

Harris will deliver a speech at the Ellipse on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Harris’ campaign said she plans to paint Trump as someone who is consumed by his grievances and an endless desire for retribution, highlighting his pledge to go after those on his “enemies list” and how it contrasts with Harris’ focus on her “to-do list.”

Her closing argument will highlight what she claims is a desire for Americans to “turn the page” from Trump by stressing her plans and priorities for the country, namely the economy. The vice president has promised to bring down costs and prioritize the middle class in her “opportunity economy.”

Fallout continues from comedian’s comment on Puerto Rico at Trump rally

Trump is set to deliver remarks to reporters at 10 a.m. ET in Florida before heading to Pennsylvania — a swing state with a significant Puerto Rican population.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said in a radio interview on Monday: “We’re the proud home to about a half a million Puerto Ricans. I’m damn proud to be their governor.”

Trump’s campaign has tried to distance itself from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comments, saying they don’t reflect their views. Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, told reporters on Monday he hadn’t seen the comment made by the comedian but that people had to “stop getting so offended.”

Trump did not address the Puerto Rico comment during his rally in Georgia on Monday night, though he called the New York City event “one of the greatest rallies in the history of the world.”

Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama ripped Trump for the anti-immigrant rhetoric at his MSG rally while campaigning for Harris. “These are fellow citizens he’s talking about,” Obama told a crowd gathered in Philadelphia.

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