Democrats see hope for Harris in Trump controversies

A series of controversial statements from former President Trump and his allies in the final week of the campaign has opened the door for Democrats to potentially make gains with key voters.

A comedian’s racist joke at a Sunday rally about Puerto Rico sparked outcry from the Latino community. Elon Musk, a top Trump supporter, acknowledged that Americans would face “temporary hardship” under Trump’s economic proposals. A leading transition official indicated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, would be handed data about immunizations to potentially pull them off the market. And Trump himself said he would be a protector for women “whether the women like it or not.”

Trump’s team has been optimistic about his chances next Tuesday, and the former president managed to seize back the news cycle on Wednesday after President Biden appeared to call Trump supporters “garbage.”

While Biden’s comments may serve to further galvanize Trump’s base — and provided Trump with a political stunt — Biden is no longer on the ballot and Vice President Harris has distanced herself from his comments.

Instead, the string of high-profile comments from Trump and his allies has given Democrats fresh talking points to warn of the risks of electing the GOP nominee.

“Every day Trump has dropped a bit of poison in a different voting pool where people might be undecided,” said Jesse Lee, a former Biden and Obama White House official.

”Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics have learned that Trump has a problem with all of them, and not just new immigrants, lots of suburban moms will recoil in horror at the idea of ending childhood vaccinations, and Trump’s protector talk makes him sound like an abuser — women recognize that, and some men will, too,” Lee added. 

Harris has long framed herself as the underdog in the race. A victory Tuesday would likely be a result of a surge in turnout among women and college-educated voters, and a strong performance among Black and Latino voters.

The Trump campaign first handed Harris a gift during a Sunday rally at Madison Square Garden that was intended to be a triumphant delivery of Trump’s closing message. Instead, it was overshadowed by racist and sexist comments by guest speakers, including comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who compared Puerto Rico to a "floating island of garbage."

Hinchcliffe’s comments sparked backlash among some Latino voters and prompted Bad Bunny, a superstar Puerto Rican musician, to post on social media backing Harris. Days later, reggaeton star Nicky Jam walked back his endorsement of Trump over the controversy.

Musk, the billionaire Trump supporter who has signaled he would lead a government efficiency commission to cut spending, said at a recent telephone town hall that the changes under a Trump administration would “necessarily involve some temporary hardship.”

Democrats jumped on those comments to warn that even Trump’s advisers are aware that his economic plans, which call for the imposition of tariffs on all foreign imports and a hodgepodge of proposed tax cuts, could adversely affect many Americans initially.

Howard Lutnick, a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, made more waves on Wednesday when he sparred with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins about the efficacy of vaccines. He suggested a Trump administration would provide outspoken vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with data about vaccine safety to show “it’s not safe.” 

Meanwhile, Trump at a Wednesday night rally, doubled down on calling himself a “protector” for women, saying he would do so “whether the women like it or not.”

The series of controversial comments could give Harris and her campaign an opening to appeal to the crucial voting blocs Democrats need to carry key battleground states on Tuesday.

Polling has shown Harris lagging behind Biden’s 2020 mark with Latino voters, and Democratic campaign officials have launched ads and increased outreach to capitalize on the Puerto Rico remarks from Trump’s rally.

Harris’s campaign is also hoping to drive up its advantage with women and college-educated voters, as it has centered its closing argument on protecting reproductive rights and the idea that Trump is “unhinged” and only out for power.

“Each day, I think that there are also indications that we are receiving from my opponent that verify, validate and reinforce the fact that, one, he is not going to be fighting for women’s reproductive rights,” Harris told reporters. “He does not prioritize the freedom of women and the intelligence of women to make decisions about their own lives and bodies. And health care for all Americans is on the line in this election, as well.”

The former president and his campaign have expressed optimism about their position heading into Election Day. Republicans have turned out in strong numbers to vote early, polls have shown Trump in a stronger position than in previous elections, and aides have argued internal data shows Trump on track to win the election.

A Decision Desk HQ forecast of the presidential election gives Trump a 53 percent chance of winning the White House, while polling averages show Trump and Harris are within 2 percentage points of each other in each of the seven key battleground states.

The Trump team has also shown a knack for seizing control of the news cycle through photo ops, such as when the former president worked briefly behind the counter at a McDonald’s or when he climbed into a garbage truck to highlight Biden’s gaffe earlier this week.