A huge rally for Donald Trump in New York has been overshadowed by crude and racist insults and claims that Kamala Harris began her career as a prostitute.
Speakers at the huge rally at Madison Square Garden labelled Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" and called the Democratic Vice President "the devil” and the “Antichrist” on Sunday.
"I don't know if you guys know this, but there's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it's called Puerto Rico," said Tony Hinchcliffe, a stand-up comic whose set at the rally also included lewd and racist comments about Latinos, Jews and Black people.
In response Harris’ campaign quickly hit back at the rally labelling the event as "dangerously divisive and demeaning".
The Democratic candidate was also quickly backed by Puerto Rican music superstar Bad Bunny who shared a clip of Harris with his 45.6million Instagram followers shortly after Hinchcliffe's appearance.
The normally pugnacious Trump campaign even took the rare step of distancing itself from Hinchcliffe.
"This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign," senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a statement.
But other speakers also made incendiary comments. Trump's childhood friend David Rem referred to Harris as "the Antichrist" and "the devil" while businessman Grant Cardone told the crowd that Harris "and her pimp handlers will destroy our country."
Trump often tears into Harris in offensive and personal terms himself, questioning in recent weeks her mental stability and her intelligence as well as calling her "lazy," long a racist trope used against Black people.
The event was a surreal spectacle that included former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, TV psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, and an artist who painted a picture of Trump hugging the Empire State Building.
After being introduced by his wife, Melania Trump, in a rare public appearance, Trump took to the stage himself and began by asking the same questions he's asked at the start of every recent rally: "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" The crowd responded with a resounding "No!"
"This election is a choice between whether we'll have four more years of gross incompetence and failure, or whether we'll begin the greatest years in the history of our country," he said.
The convicted felon added a new proposal to his list of tax cuts aimed at winning over older adults and blue-collar workers, which already includes vows to end taxes on Social Security benefits, tips and overtime pay: A tax credit for family caregivers.
This comes after Harris has talked about the "sandwich generation" of adults caring for ageing parents while raising their children at the same time. Harris has proposed federal funding to cover home care costs for older Americans.
Trump otherwise repeated familiar lines about foreign policy and immigration, calling for the death penalty for any migrant who kills a US citizen and saying that the day he takes office, "The migrant invasion of our country ends."
Tech mogul Elon Musk, who spoke earlier and introduced Melania Trump, was a prominent part of Trump's closing campaign message. The former president called Musk "a genius" and "special."
Musk nodded to Trump's recent plan to allow him to lead a government efficiency commission to audit the entire federal government. Several of Musk's businesses, including Tesla and SpaceX, have major government contracts or have relied on US subsidies, and Musk has faced criticism after reports that he has spoken privately with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Your money is being wasted and the department of government efficiency is going to fix that," Musk said before taking a place offstage beside Melania Trump.
Earlier Hogan, returning to the venue where he performed years ago as a professional wrestler, seemed to reprise his character, emerging wearing a giant red, orange and yellow boa and violently waving a large American flag as he posed and danced.
He spat on the stage during his speech, flexed his muscles repeatedly and told the audience: "Trump is the only man that can fix this country today."
Trump has denounced the four criminal indictments brought against him as politically motivated.
He has ramped up his denunciations in recent weeks of "enemies from within," naming domestic political rivals, and suggested he would use the military to go after them. Harris, in turn, has referred to Trump as a fascist.
The arena was full hours before Trump was scheduled to speak. Outside the arena, the sidewalks were overflowing with Trump supporters in red "Make America Great Again" hats. There was a heavy security presence. Streets were blocked off and access to Penn Station was restricted.
"It just goes to show ya that he has a bigger following of any man that has ever lived," said Philip D'Agostino, a longtime Trump backer from Queens, the borough where Trump grew up.
