Racist rhetoric at Donald Trump's MSG rally brings avalanche of criticism. Here's what political experts believe the fallout will be.
NEW YORK -- There was intense fallout Monday from the racist rhetoric at Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday, with political experts trying to assess the effect on a presidential campaign that several polls say is a dead heat.
Trump apparently came to New York City to use the media capital of the country to make his closing arguments against Vice President Kamala Harris in a bitterly divided campaign. Instead, Trump's team is on the defensive because of hate speech that rang from the storied rafters of "The World's Most Famous Arena."
Here's what was said before Trump took the stage
An avalanche of criticism rained down on the Trump campaign after a number of speakers used hate speech to rally the base. Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe was singled out for saying, "There's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. Yeah, I think it's called Puerto Rico."
"It was shocking even by today's standards to call Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani took up the attack on Palestinians.
"The Palestinians are taught to kill us at 2 years old. They won't let a Palestinian in Jordan. They won't let a Palestinian in Egypt. And Harris wants to bring them to you," Giuliani said.
Stephen Miller is a senior Trump advisor.
"America is for Americans and for Americans only," Miller said.
Puerto Rican communities everywhere sound off
Puerto Rican flags waved at La Marquetta on Monday in East Harlem, where officials gathered to denounce the rally.
Brooklyn Rep. Nydia Velazquez, the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in the House, was just one of many Latinos speaking about the comments made by Hinchcliffe.
"To come to New York and make these comments is a slap in the face to every Puerto Rican in New York and the 5 million Puerto Ricans on the mainland," Velazquez said.
The Harris campaign moved quickly to capitalize on the controversy, pointing out Trump's response when Hurricane Maria devastated the island.
"I will never forget what Donald Trump did. He abandoned the island and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults," Harris says on an ad.
"We're here to push back, to tell Pennsylvania, to tell Wisconsin, to tell Michigan, to tell North Carolina, to tell them all that they should vote against Donald Trump. Defeat him and send him back to retirement," said Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who represents Manhattan.
The board of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade issued a statement saying, "This insult will not diminish who we are or what we represent but should remind us of the critical importance of voting on Nov. 5."
Luis Davila, the chair of the Puerto Rican Democratic Party, said he thinks the anti-Latino sentiment could affect the outcome of the election.
"The political playbook always mandates that when you're this close in an election you just can't do any unforced errors, and this was a massive error by the campaign, by the Trump campaign. There are over 400,000 Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania -- 320,000 are registered to vote," Davila said.
Will any of it matter? Political experts have differing views
CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer spoke to two political experts about what the rhetoric could mean.
"If your viewers think that the persons last night who said those comments about Puerto Rico and the Blacks was not vetted by his campaign, you are out of your mind," political expert J.C. Polanco said.
Polanco, who is also an attorney and a professor, was just one of many trying to assess the effect of the hate speech on voters, especially in the battleground states.
Michigan, for example, has a large Palestinian population. North Carolina and Georgia have large Black populations and there are many Latino voters in Arizona and Nevada.
Political consultant O'Brien Murray said he doesn't think it will hurt Trump.
"Everyone know what's to expect from Donald Trump. This is nothing new. What this did, though, it was a missed opportunity for the Trump campaign and for Donald Trump," Murray said.
Murray conceded, however, that it could help Harris in a tight race.
"It will move the numbers for how many Harris voters show up," Murray said.
Polanco saw it differently, especially in the aforementioned swing states.
"Huge impact because you have people who have been on the fence, that have had amnesia. They didn't know how to vote this election cycle and I think last night it was made clear that this is a man who campaigns with racists. This is a man who has racists supporting him," Polanco said.
The Trump campaign distanced itself from Hinchcliffe, saying, "This does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign."
