Harris vows end to ‘drama and conflict’ – but Biden’s ‘trash’ comment sparks row

Bernd Debusmann Jr.
I’m reporting from Pennsylvania

Not everyone here is an avid Harris supporter. Far from it.

I just spoke with Ivonne Torres Miranda, an elderly woman who lives in Fairhill.

He’s been voting Democratic since the early 1990s, but isn’t sure if he’ll vote this year and says he feels both parties are neglecting his community.

“Look here, it’s a mess,” he says in rapid Spanish with a thick Puerto Rican accent. “Crime, drugs, it’s all here.”

“Go a few blocks over and see if you don’t get robbed,” he said, pointing to the crime-ridden neighborhood of Kensington. “People work here, they work hard, but they still clip coupons.”

But last night’s comments left him furious. When asked about this, he began to shout, attracting the attention of a small crowd of curious onlookers.

“Don’t say anything like that! I don’t believe for a second that they would hold a rally and not know what the speaker would say,” he adds. “Even if he was joking, you wouldn’t joke like that!”

“This campaign has done so much damage to itself. I think it’s crazy,” he shouted. “We are Puerto Ricans. We have dignity and pride. You have to think before you say things.”