With a week before Election Day, former President Donald Trump was in Allentown, Pennsylvania, working to appeal to voter sentiment on the economy.
As it has been for much of the campaign, much of Trump's focus in the closing days has been on the inflation, energy prices and taxation. At his rally Tuesday Trump pitched his plan to institute more tariffs, expand energy extraction techniques like fracking and cut taxes.
"We will make America affordable again," Trump said. "I will massively cut taxes for workers and small businesses and we will have no tax on tips. No tax on overtime. And no tax on Social Security benefits for our seniors."
Trump sought to make inroads with Hispanic and Latino voters, who make up big parts of the electorate in battleground states like Pennsylvania. In Allentown in particular, more than half of the population is Hispanic or Latino. Pennsylvania also has a significant Puerto Rican population.
But Trump was still dealing with criticism of his rally in Madison Square Garden in New York, which drew backlash over comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's comments characterizing Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage."
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Trump allies and Trump himself have worked to distance themselves from the incident — Trump on Tuesday said he didn't know Hinchcliffe and called the New York rally an "absolute lovefest."
Carlos Trujillo, the former United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States and now a senior adviser for the Trump campaign, told Scripps News on Monday the insult wasn't likely to sway too many voters.
"I don't think it's going to move the needle. I think Puerto Ricans, just like the majority of Hispanics and Americans, are going to vote based on the economy, the record and the issues that are important to them."
RELATED STORY | Harris gives final pitch to voters on the Ellipse at the National Mall
Trump's rally went on the same day that Vice President Kamala Harris addressed voters from the Ellipse on Washington D.C.'s National Mall, on the same spot where Trump, then president, held his Stop the Steal rally before the riots at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
"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."
