HARRISBURG, Penn. (AP) 鈥� called Wednesday for Americans to 鈥渟top pointing fingers at each other鈥� as she tried to push past comments made by President Joe Biden about " and keep the focus on her Republican opponent in the closing days of the race.
鈥淲e know we have an opportunity in this election to turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump, who has been trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other," the Democratic nominee said.
Harris was holding rallies in a trio of battleground states as part of a blitz in the closing week of the election, with stops Wednesday in Raleigh, North Carolina; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Madison, Wisconsin.
She stressed unity and common ground, expanding on , where she laid out what her team called the 鈥渃losing argument鈥� of her campaign.
鈥淚 am not looking to score political points,鈥� the vice president said. 鈥淚 am looking to make progress.鈥�
Meanwhile, Biden and the White House rushed to explain that the president was talking about the rhetoric on stage at Trump鈥檚 recent Madison Square Garden rally, not Trump鈥檚 supporters themselves. Biden did not answer questions about his comments Wednesday during an Oval Office meeting with the president of Cyprus, but press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said he 鈥渄oes not view Trump supporters or anybody who supports Trump as garbage.鈥�
Harris was introduced at the North Carolina rally by a former Republican voter who previously supported Trump, another example of her campaign's effort to welcome disaffected conservatives who are uneasy about reelecting the former president.
It was a message that on Tuesday 鈥� at the same time Harris was speaking near the White House 鈥� when he participated in a campaign call organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino.
Biden used the opportunity to criticize the Madison Square Garden rally, where a comedian described Puerto Rico as a 鈥渇loating island of garbage.鈥�
鈥淭he only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it鈥檚 un-American,鈥� Biden said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 totally contrary to everything we鈥檝e done, everything we鈥檝e been.鈥�
Harris told reporters before boarding Air Force Two for her flight to Raleigh that she disagrees "with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.鈥�
鈥淚 will represent all Americans, including those who don鈥檛 vote for me,鈥� she said.
Her words were an attempt to blunt the controversy over Biden's comments and put some distance between herself and the president, something in the past.
Republicans have seized on Biden鈥檚 comments, claiming they were an echo of the time when Hillary Clinton, as the Democratic nominee in 2016, said half of Trump鈥檚 supporters belonged to a 鈥渂asket of deplorables.鈥�
鈥淲e know what they believe. Because look how they鈥檝e treated you,鈥� Trump said at his rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e treated you like garbage. The truth is, they鈥檝e treated our whole country like garbage.鈥�
He also said 鈥渨ithout question, my supporters are far higher-quality than Crooked Joe鈥檚," using his nickname for the president.
In attacking Biden 鈥� and by extension, Harris 鈥� Republicans have glossed over Trump鈥檚 own history of insulting and demonizing rhetoric, such as calling the United States a 鈥済arbage can for the world鈥� or describing political opponents as 鈥渢he enemy within.鈥� Trump has also described Harris as a 鈥渟tupid person鈥� and 鈥渓azy as hell,鈥� and he鈥檚 questioned whether she was on drugs.
Trump has also refused demands to apologize for the comment about Puerto Rico at his rally, acknowledging that 鈥渟omebody said some bad things鈥� but adding that he 鈥渃an鈥檛 imagine it鈥檚 a big deal.鈥�
Political attack lines have a history of occasionally boomeranging back on people who use them. For example, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, now Trump's running mate, as beholden to 鈥渁 bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they鈥檝e made.鈥�
Vance's 3-year-old comments resurfaced once he became the vice presidential nominee, energizing Harris supporters who repurposed the label as a point of pride on shirts and bumper stickers 鈥� much like Trump鈥檚 supporters once cheerfully branded themselves as 鈥渄eplorables.鈥�
On Wednesday morning, Harris鈥� running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, downplayed Biden鈥檚 comments in television interviews.
鈥淟et鈥檚 be very clear, the vice president and I have made it absolutely clear that we want everyone as a part of this,鈥� he told ABC鈥檚 鈥淕ood Morning America." 鈥淒onald Trump鈥檚 divisive rhetoric is what needs to end.鈥�
In Harrisburg, Harris parried repeated interruptions from pro-Palestinian protesters objecting to her support for Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
鈥淥urs is about a fight for democracy and your right to be heard,鈥� Harris said as one protester shouted. 鈥淭hat is what is on the line in this election.鈥�
She added: 鈥淟ook everybody has a right to be heard, but right now I am speaking.鈥�
As she waited for Harris to take the stage in Raleigh, 35-year-old Liz Kazal said she was 鈥渃autiously optimistic鈥� about the election. She鈥檚 tried to volunteer for the campaign every week, including making phone calls, knocking on doors with her toddler daughter and raising money for Harris鈥� candidacy.
鈥淵ou hope for the best and plan for the worst,鈥� Kazal said.
___ Megerian reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, North Carolina; Adriana Gomez Licon in Rocky Mount, North Carolina; Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa; and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.
Will Weissert And Chris Megerian, The Associated Press
