WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – Supporters in the plural or apostrophe S?

One word from one president blurs the picture of a racist joke told at another president’s rally and the response.

And given the state of the White House race, the Latino community could play a vital role in choosing the winner.

“Let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on the choice they vote for,” Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday.

The vice president had to clean up for President Joe Biden the day after the president made the comment Tuesday night.

“The only trash I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and un-American,” Biden said during a fundraising Zoom call with Latino voters.

Biden was responding to a derogatory joke comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made Sunday about Puerto Rico and the Latino community at a rally for former President Donald Trump.

On Sunday, Hinchcliffe said: “There is literally a floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean right now. Yeah, I think it’s called Puerto Rico.

Shortly afterward, the Trump campaign released a statement saying, “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign. »

“This comedian didn’t arrive on stage by chance,” said Juan Proaño, CEO of LULAC, the nation’s oldest Latino civil rights organization.

On Tuesday, Trump welcomed the results of the event, but did not directly respond to the comedian’s comments.

Trump said: “It was like a love fest, an absolute love fest and it was an honor for me to be a part of it. »

But on Wednesday, Trump said Biden was talking about the people who supported him and not the comedian.

“Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think about our supporters. He called them trash,” the former president said at a rally in North Carolina.

That prompted a response from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who said what Trump was claiming was not true.

“He doesn’t view Trump supporters or anyone who supports him as trash,” Jean-Pierre said.

Meanwhile, the fallout from Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally continues.

Proaño said, “It really feeds into the negative stereotypes that people have about Latinos in the United States. »

The LULAC Super PAC endorsed Harris this summer. This is the group’s first presidential endorsement in its 95-year history.

Proaño said that given the millions of Latinos living in key states, he thinks it could make a difference in Tuesday’s election.

“Regardless, if there is a Latino who is still undecided, I have a feeling that this vote is going to go against him, especially if he is Puerto Rican,” Proaño said.

According to the Latino voting rights group FREE, there are four million more Hispanics eligible to vote in this election compared to 2020, representing 14% of the entire voting pool.

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