Obama criticizes comic's Puerto Rico remarks at Trump's MSG rally

As we head into the final full week of campaigning before Election Day, the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll shows Kamala Harris with a slight 51-47% lead over Donald Trump among likely voters nationally -- but the polls in the battleground states remain essentially deadlocked within the margin of error.

Fallout continues over racist comments made at Trump's big rally on Sunday at Madison Square Garden and Harris is preparing for her "closing argument" Tuesday night on the Ellipse near the Capitol and White House in Washington.

Latest Developments

Oct 29, 6:12 AM

Most voters ready to accept election results but doubt Trump will

Despite ongoing claims of voter fraud and ballot mismanagement from former President Donald Trump and his allies, 86% of registered voters in a new ABC News/Ipsos poll say they personally are prepared to accept the outcome of the 2024 presidential election as legitimate, regardless of which candidate wins.

Two-thirds, however, believe Trump is not prepared to accept the outcome as legitimate. Fewer than half as many, 30%, say the same of Vice President Kamala Harris.

MORE: Most voters ready to accept election results but doubt Trump will: Poll

Even among Trump's supporters, 81% say they are prepared to accept the election outcome as legitimate. That rises to 92% of Harris supporters in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates with fieldwork by Ipsos.

-ABC News' Allison De Jong

Oct 29, 12:49 AM

Comedian's disparaging Puerto Rico joke sparks backlash in battleground Pennsylvania

Tony Hinchcliffe's comments about Puerto Rico at Madison Square Garden is being felt in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state home to a significant number of Puerto Rican voters.

Michael Rivera, a Republican raised in Puerto Rico who serves on the Board of Commissioners in Berks County, condemned the joke in a statement to ABC News Monday night, calling it "not only appalling but deeply disrespectful."

"Such comments overlook the value of a people of rich cultural heritage and the significant contributions of Puerto Ricans to the United States," he added.

Rivera said he "appreciate[s] the Trump campaign’s decision to distance themselves from [Hinchcliffe’s] comments," but he told ABC News that a statement from Trump himself "would go a long way" toward appeasing Puerto Rican voters upset by the joke.

Rivera said he remained committed to voting for Trump, citing his record. However, he said some in his community are considering changing their vote after Hinchcliffe’s comment.

-ABC News' Will McDuffie

Oct 29, 12:45 AM

Bernie Sanders sends message to voters concerned about Gaza, saying Trump is 'worse'

Sen. Bernie Sanders released a video Monday night that aims to ease the concern of voters who may be wary to cast a vote for Vice President Kamala Harris due to her position on the war in Gaza.

"I understand that there are millions of Americans who disagree with President Biden and Vice President Harris on the terrible war in Gaza. I am one of them," Sanders begins the video.

But he argues to supporters that Republicans, led by Trump, would create an even greater humanitarian crisis in the region.

"Some of you are saying how can I vote for Kamala Harris if she is supporting this terrible war -- and that is a very fair question. And let me give you my best answer. And that is that even on this issue, Donald Trump and his right-wing friends are worse."

Sanders said Trump and Congressional Republicans will work to block aid to Gaza and noted that Trump has praised Netanyahu as "doing a good job."

"It is no wonder Netanyahu prefers to have Donald Trump in office," Sanders said.

He said he would work with Harris to "do everything that we can to change U.S. policy toward Netanyahu."

"We will have in my view, a much better chance of changing U.S. policy with Kamala than with Trump," Sanders said in the video.

Sanders also made it clear that while the crisis in Gaza is important, it is "not the only issue" in this election. He argued that a Trump victory would be disastrous for abortion access, climate change and income inequality.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

Oct 28, 11:21 PM

DC braces for protests and road closures ahead of Harris rally at the Ellipse

Fencing along the National Mall is still being installed less than 24 hours before Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech at the Ellipse, which is "a large open area surrounded by an oval drive" on the southern side of the President's Park, according to the National Park Service.

Harris chose to deliver her campaign's closing arguments at a symbolic site on the grounds of the White House, where former President Donald Trump delivered a speech on Jan. 6, 2021, that preceded a mob attack on the Capitol.

The permit for the rally estimates a crowd of 20,000 people.

Rally organizers planned an overflow area near the grounds of the Washington Monument.

The Secret Service said in a statement to ABC News that they are “working closely with our federal and local partners to ensure the safety and security of Vice President Harris and all attendees at the campaign event on Tuesday at the White House Ellipse."

Several roads in downtown Washington, D.C., will be blocked off at 6 a.m. Tuesday for the event, which begins at 3 p.m.

Oct 28, 10:38 PM

Obama criticizes comic's Puerto Rico remarks at Trump's MSG rally

Former President Barack Obama responded on Monday to the disparaging comments about Puerto Rico that were made by a comedian who opened for Donald Trump at his rally in New York City over the weekend.

“So, the man holds this big rally at Madison Square Garden, and the warm-up speakers were saying the most – were trotting out and peddling the most racist, sexist, bigoted stereotypes. One guy called Puerto Rico, quote, 'an island of garbage,'” Obama said at a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is home to one of the largest Puerto Rican populations in the U.S.

“These are fellow citizens he’s talking about. Here in Philadelphia, they are your neighbors. They’re your friends. They are your coworkers. Their kids go to school with your kids. These are Americans. They’re people -- and that is the reason why this election should not be close. It should be clear,” he added.

Joining Obama at Temple University's Liacouras Center in North Philadelphia were Bruce Springsteen and John Legend, both of whom performed as part of the When We Vote We Win concert series in support of Vice President Kamala Harris, with eight days to go until Election Day.

Oct 28, 10:03 PM

Harris' Michigan campaign rally interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters

Vice President Kamala Harris joined Gov. Tim Walz on the trail for the first time since August in Ann Arbor, Michigan Monday, where she rallied voters ahead of Election Day.

During her stump speech, about a dozen pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted Harris, decrying Israel.

"Hey guys, I hear you on the subject of Gaza," Harris said.

"We all want this war to end as soon as possible and get the hostages out, and I will do everything in my power to make it so," Harris added.

Ann Arbor, located in Michigan's sixth district, was one of the two districts that gained an uncommitted delegate during Michigan's primary, in large part, because of its sizable community of college students.

The other district that gained an uncommitted delegate was the 12th, which included Detroit suburbs with large blocs of Arab-Americans.

-ABC News' Gabriella Abdul-Hakim

Oct 28, 9:54 PM

Walz appeals to young voters in Michigan rally with Harris

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz delivered a focused message that aimed to rally young voters in the crowd as he stumped for Vice President Kamala Harris in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Monday.

In an appearance near the University of Michigan campus, with a little over a week before Election Day, Walz delivered a short and thoughtful speech boosting his running mate's candidacy.

“Look, her first day -- from a prosecutor to a district attorney to the attorney general of California to a United States senator to the vice president -- Kamala Harris had that one client: the people," Walz said.

He also, at times, tapped into his "coach" persona. “Now we're moving this thing over the next eight days, an inch at a time, a yard at a time, one door at a time, one phone call at a time," Walz said. "[Because] one of those door knocks, and one of those interactions -- because one or two extra votes for precinct in the state of Michigan will make Kamala Harris the president the United States."

Walz acknowledged head-on the anxiety that young, first-time voters may be feeling during this election cycle.

“Here's the good news: If you're feeling any of that anxiety, any of that nervousness, any of that worry, we've got the solution for you. Get out there and vote for Kamala Harris. I know I did it last Wednesday with my son, who voted [for] the first time, and it works,” he said to the crowd of largely students.

It was Walz's first joint rally with Harris since their appearance in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the Democratic National Convention in August.

Oct 28, 9:09 PM

Harris in hot mic moment says her campaign is struggling with male voters

During a stop in Kalamazoo, Michigan, at Trak-Houz Bar & Grill where Vice President Kamala Harris and the state's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, were grabbing a beer, a hot mic caught Harris discussing that her campaign is struggling with male voters.

“So, everyone agrees that we need to move the ground with men,” Harris said. She goes on to look around at the cameras, saying, "Oh, we have microphones in here just listening to everything. I didn't realize that. We just told all the family secrets. S---," she said while laughing.

On the record, Harris flat-out rejects that she has any issues with male voters. ”It’s not what I see in terms of my rallies, in terms of the interactions I’m having with people in communities and on the ground,” Harris said at a campaign stop in Philadelphia last week.

"What I am seeing is in equal measure, men and women talking about their concerns about the future of our democracy, talking about the fact that they want a president who leads with optimism and takes on the challenges that we face, whether it be grocery prices or investing in small businesses or home ownership," Harris said at the time.

The vice president's campaign has notably been doing extensive outreach to male voters. The campaign announced on Sunday that they were focusing on outreach during NFL games, 3v3 games and Twitch streams to mobilize and activate fans. They also launched Athletes for Harris, co-chaired by Magic Johnson, and have placed ads on fantasy sports, sports betting and sports news sites in an effort to close the gap with male voters.

Oct 28, 8:31 PM

Vance suggests American World War II soldiers would vote for Trump

During his second campaign event Monday, vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance accused Vice President Kamala Harris of doubling down on "divisive rhetoric" and displayed images of American World War II soldiers landing at Normandy in 1944.

"What the Democrats have decided to do in this last week of the campaign is to double down on the most divisive rhetoric, I think, that we have ever seen from a major party presidential candidate in my lifetime," Vance told the crowd in Racine, Wisconsin.

Flanked by two monitors while talking to a crowd of about 200 people, Vance showed photos of troops landing at the beaches of Normandy on D-Day in 1944.

Vance questioned what those soldiers would think of Harris and her policies.

"Do you think that those men who saved a continent, and I would say, saved the world for freedom and liberty? Do you think that they were fighting to open the southern border of their own country? Do you think that those men were fighting for taxpayer-funded sex reassignment surgeries for illegal aliens?" Vance asked the crowd.

"I'd like Kamala Harris to go back in time and hop on that boat and say that she wants taxpayer-funded sex reassignment surgeries for illegal aliens. And I'd like to hear the response of those brave men," Vance said.

Oct 28, 8:07 PM

Trump says 'I'm not a Nazi, I'm the opposite of a Nazi'

During his campaign event in Atlanta on Monday, Trump responded to claims his rhetoric can be likened to fascist beliefs, saying "I'm not a Nazi."

"The newest line from Kamala and her campaign is that everyone who isn't voting for her is a Nazi," Trump told the crowd.

"I'm not a Nazi. I'm the opposite of a Nazi," Trump said.

During a CNN town hall last week, Harris was asked if she thought Trump was a fascist and replied, "Yes, I do."

Harris went on to say American voters don't want "a president of the United States who admires dictators and is a fascist."

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