US election: Harris seeks to defuse Biden 'garbage' fallout

Harris was delivering her 'closing arguments' in DC shortly before Biden made the 'garbage' remark

Kamala Harris has vowed to "represent all Americans" after a remark by US President Joe Biden sparked backlash from Donald Trump supporters. Follow DW's election digest.

Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris tried to limit the damage of a comment by President Joe Biden, who was reacting to racist remarks from an earlier rally of her rival, Donald Trump.

With just six days to go until the election, Harris is campaigning in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, while former President Trump is planning stops in North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Here's a roundup of the main US election headlines on October 30, 2024:

Harris says she opposes 'any criticism of people based on who they vote for'

Kamala Harris told reporters on Wednesday that she disagrees "with any criticism of people based on who they vote for," as she sought to defuse criticism of comments by Joe Biden during a fundraising call the previous evening, less than a week before the vote.

"I will represent all Americans, including those who don't vote for me," Harris said on Wednesday.

Biden had been responding to comments at a Trump rally where comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage."

"The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter's — his, his demonization of Latinos in unconscionable and it's un-American," Biden said, according to a transcript posted online by a White House spokesman following a fundraising call with Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino.

Several news organizations had carried the comments without the apostrophe in "supporter's," making the reference appear to refer to all Trump supporters rather than to Hinchcliffe, as the punctuation used by the White House implied. Biden said later online that "all I meant to say" was that Hinchcliffe's comments "don't reflect who we are as a nation."

Nevertheless, the comments appeared to echo Hillary Clinton's now infamous reference to a "basket of deplorables," as she described around half of Trump's supporter base during the 2016 campaign. These comments are often highlighted as one of the low points in Clinton's losing campaign against Trump.

Harris' running mate Tim Walz was also asked about Biden's comments on "CBS Mornings" early Wednesday. Walz said that the president "was very clear that he's speaking about the rhetoric we heard." As a result, he said, the comment did not undermine the Democratic Party's campaign call for unity.

Supreme Court says Virginia can continue removing non-citizen registered voters

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the state of Virginia could continue removing registered voters from its electoral roll who the state says are not US citizens.

A different judge and court last week ordered the state to reinstate the roughly 1,600 purged registered voters, and the state appealed to the Supreme Court.

President Joe Biden's administration and voting rights groups had said that US citizens were among those struck from the register.

It is illegal for non-US citizens to vote in elections in the US. Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin had said the policy would remove people "unable to verify that they are citizens."

Virginia has become a reasonably safe Democrat state in recent presidential elections, since Barack Obama broke decades of Republican control in 2008. Joe Biden won the state by a margin of around 10% in 2020, while Hillary Clinton won it by roughly 5% in 2016. In those cases, at least, the winning margin was hundreds of thousands of votes.

US election issues: Economy

Opinion polls in recent months have consistently shown that the economy is top on the minds of voters amid high living costs.

Both Trump and Harris blame each other's administrations for inflation levels. But combing through the data since 2009 shows that no matter who was in power, the economy seemed to be equally driven by global events, demographic developments and decisions made in the White House.

Read DW's analysis on the presidential impact on the US economy.

What impact does Biden's 'garbage' comment have on the election?

US President Joe Biden commented on comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's "floating island of garbage" remark on Puerto Rico, which had stirred controversy following Trump's New York rally on Sunday.

"The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter's," said Biden. The White House later said Biden was referring to Trump's rhetoric, not to his supporters.

DW asked political consultant Louis Perron whether Biden's gaffe would hurt the campaign of his vice president:

Why does the US media call the election?

In the US, there is a long-standing tradition of media companies "calling" the election in certain states.

The practice dates back to the pre-telegram days of the sprawling democracy, and now utilizes the latest technology to deliver results as soon as possible.

In battleground states, however, the practice can be dramatic and fraught, such as in 2020 when some media workers reported pressure from the Trump campaign to "call" states that weren't certain yet, giving his campaign inertia in western states where voting hadn't closed yet.

Read more: Calling it: Why the media declares results in US elections

Expert: Trump presidency would give Russia a free hand

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, sending aid to Kyiv was one of the rare issues that US Republicans and Democrats could agree on. Now, however, former President Donald Trump and his campaign have steadily encouraged supporters to view Ukraine with suspicion.

Alexander Vindman, a retired US Army lieutenant colonel who was the director for European Affairs in the National Security Council, told DW that for Europe, particularly, the impact of a Trump victory in the US election is more immediate and dire.

"What you have in a Trump election is basically a turn to isolationism, something that we haven't had… in many decades, since before World War Two," he said.

In such a scenario, Vindman added, it creates "a vacuum for the enemies of democracy" and means "Russia believes it has a freer hand."

Under a Kamala Harris administration, Vindman said, Russia would be more likely to recognize that it is facing the full might of Ukraine, backed by democracies supported by NATO, Europe and the US, and would face pressure to move toward negotiations.

Trump vs Harris: How could their policies affect global economy?

What are swing states?

When it comes to presidential elections, some of the US 50 states matter more than others.

Many of the so-called safe states usually vote reliably one way or the other, while "swing states" could be won by either the Democratic or Republican candidate.

This toss-up potential makes them attractive to candidates since these votes could push the election either way.

What are the main election issues in each state? Read DW's analysis.

New voting laws could trigger post-election chaos

Following the US federal election in 2020, Trump and many high-profile Republicans refused to accept the outcome of the vote, triggering recounts in several states and weeks of uncertainty.

New laws put into place since then could make the process of counting votes even harder. Several states with Republican-controlled legislatures have made it easier for districts to bar some people from voting.

Read more: New US voting rules could lead to election chaos

What to expect on Wednesday

Vice President Kamala Harris has multiple campaign stops planned in swing states where polling between her and former President Donald Trump remains in a dead heat. First, she will stop and speak to supporters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and then in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Many analysts have pointed to Pennsylvania as the key to winning the entire election due to its many Electoral College votes and the uncertainty of which way it will swing.

Trump will also appear in North Carolina, as well as Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Both candidates are expected to continue campaigming at a breakneck pace until voting day on November 5.

Tuesday recap: Harris speaks at the Ellipse, Biden's 'garbage' row, Trump's tariffs

Kamala Harris held a rally that was described as the "closing remarks" for her campaign. Organizers said some 75,000 people had attended. She promised to "put the country above party and above self," comparing herself to Trump, who is "obsessed with revenge."

Her choice of venue was considered significant. The Ellipse, a park near the White House, was where Trump addressed supporters shortly before they stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

In a Zoom meeting with Latino voters, President Joe Biden referenced a moment from a Monday Trump rally wherein a comedian called US territory Puerto Rico "a floating pile of garbage."

The President said "the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters."

Biden's comment prompted outrage from Republicans. He later clarified he specifically meant the comedian who made the original comment.

Former President Donald Trump spoke at an event in Pennsylvania where he promised to significantly raise tariffs on good from the European Union. Economists have warned that due to complex supply chains, such a move would significantly raise consumer prices in the US and globally.

es/lo (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)