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Democrats and Republicans repeatedly clashed throughout the race, taking aim at each other on numerous occasions. The campaigns of both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris generated major controversies in this election cycle. Even after withdrawing from the race, President Joe Biden made statements that drew criticism.
With the final hours ticking down to Election Day, here’s a look at the biggest controversies of the 2024 election –
Donald Trump-
"Protector" Of Women
The Republican nominee faced criticism from his opposition, after he highlighted his issues with female voters. He said he would be their "protector", adding "whether the women like it or not." Many female voters found the remark creepy and tried to link it with Trump's stance on abortion, a vital issue this elections.
The Puerto Rico Row
Another controversy that stirred during Trump's campaign was the much-hyped Madison Square Garden rally where comedian Tony Hinchcliffe termed Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage." The Puerto Ricans are visibly infuriated by the remarks, however, Trump refrained from issuing any formal apology for the incident, Daily News stated.
Kamala Harris-
"Plagiarism" Controversy
Vice President Kamala Harris got surrounded by a major plagiarism row that involved a Republican's congressional testimony and her book titled, "Smart on Crime."
The Democratic nominee was accused of using similar content from several sources in her book, without crediting the actual author. The similarities were outlined by a plagiarism hunter Dr. Stefan Weber, The Economic Times stated.
Harris was also accused for copying more than thousand pages from Republican Paul Logli's congressional statement. An analysis by The Telegraph found that many statements in both the testimonies had extensive similarities with just a few corrections. The writings also had a similar language structure.
Joe Biden-
The 'Garbage' Remark Controversy
President Biden recently sparked an outrage over his remarks on Trump supporters by calling them "garbage." "The only garbage I see floating out there is his," he said referring to Republican supporters.
Biden's comments prompted Trump supporters to assume that the president verbally attacked them, whereas the comments were passed by one person. His remarks came after popular comedian Tony Hinchcliffe cracked a racist joke directed at Puerto Ricans during Trump's Sunday rally event at Madison Square Garden.
The 'Lock Him Up' Controversy
The Democratic president also became famous while talking about Donald Trump with a group of Democrats in New Hampshire. Biden said, "I know this sounds bizarre-it sounds if said this five years ago, you'd lock me up. We gotta lock him up. Politically lock him up. Lock him out. That's what we have to do."
As the remarks became controversial in no time, the Trump campaign described the incident as "election interference" and slammed the Biden-Harris administration.
"The Harris-Biden Admin is the real threat to democracy. We call on Kamala Harris to condemn Joe Biden's disgraceful remark," said Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for Trump's campaign in a statement on Tuesday.