Trump's vulgar rally becomes a drag on his campaign

• Democrats, Latino groups and others seized on the remarks — and the fact that Trump's campaign approved the speakers — as the latest sign that Trump's divisive rhetoric should disqualify him from a second term.

Zoom in: In a reflection of its concern about the fallout from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's comment, Trump's campaign said in a statement late Sunday that it "does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign."

• It was short of an apology — but a rare acknowledgment of a misstep by Trump's team.

Other Republicans sought to repair the damage — and expressed dismay that Trump and his team allowed such a gaffe to happen in the last week before the election.

• A source involved with Trump's campaign said the ex-president's "arrogance and ego," combined with his team's poor planning, set the stage for the embarrassment that followed at Madison Square Garden.
• Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R) said Hinchcliffe's comment was "not funny, and it's not true," adding that "Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans."
• Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) also said that Puerto Rico is "home to fellow American citizens who have made tremendous contributions to our country. I understand why some people were offended by a comedian's jokes."
• "But those weren't Trump's words. They were jokes by an insult comic who offends virtually everyone, all the time….. because that is what insult comedians do," Rubio said.

The other side: Kamala Harris' team and other Democrats cast the offensive rhetoric as typical of Trump and one of his rallies, just with a bigger audience.

• "What he did last night is not a discovery," Harris said. "It is just more of the same, and maybe more vivid than usual."
• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who is of Puerto Rican descent, said Trump's event "was a hate rally. This was not just a presidential rally, this was also not just a campaign rally."
• "The only backtracking that they're doing right now is just because tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans happen to live in Philadelphia, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin ... They're just realizing that they might have made a big error by saying out loud what they're thinking," she said Monday on "Morning Joe."
• Others noted that Hinchcliffe also insulted African Americans, and that another speaker, businessman Grant Cardone, had claimed in his remarks that Harris and her "pimp handlers will destroy our country."

Zoom out: Puerto Ricans are a growing part of the Latino electorate, particularly in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state. Latinos make up about 6% of eligible voters there; people of Puerto Rican descent make up about 3.8% of the state's population.

• Both campaigns have been trying to court these voters. Most favor Harris, but polling has shown Trump making modest inroads.
• Late Monday, Puerto Rico's archbishop, Roberto O. Gonzalez Nieves, called on Trump to more forcefully reject the rhetoric at the rally.
• "It is not sufficient for your campaign to apologize," he wrote in a letter to Trump. "It is important that you, personally, apologize for these comments."

What they're saying: Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News that Hinchcliffe made a "joke in poor taste."

• "It is sad that the media will pick up on one joke that was made by a comedian rather than the truths that were shared by the phenomenal list of speakers that we had," she said.
• Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump's running mate, struck a similar tone and said that "we have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America."

Go deeper: Trump comedian's MSG joke draws huge backlash from Puerto Ricans

Axios' Alex Thompson contributed reporting.