Video: President Trump's rally speaker calls Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of trash’
A comedian at a Donald Trump rally called Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash,” sparking outrage from Republicans and Democrats and accusations of racism.
Cartoonist Tony Hinchcliffe was among the speakers at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday. He also made a series of jokes based on racist stereotypes.
Trump’s advisers distanced the former president from the Puerto Rican joke, which also came under fire from Trump’s Democratic rival Kamala Harris. Ms. Harris herself was the target of another of Mr. Trump’s warm-up speakers, which also caused controversy.
The uproar came after Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, one of the world’s top Latino celebrities, endorsed Harris as a presidential candidate.
Mr Hinchcliffe, known for his comedy podcast Kill Tony, joked: I think it’s called Puerto Rico. ”
This procession seems to have had mixed reviews. Two Republicans from Florida, a state with a large Puerto Rican population, were among those who made the joke.
U.S. Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar said she was “disgusted” by the “racist comments.” She referred to the Republican Party on X, saying it “does not reflect Republican values,” and noted that thousands of Puerto Ricans serve in the military.
“There’s a reason why the joke blew up. It’s not funny and it’s not true,” said U.S. Sen. Rick Scott. He added, “Puerto Ricans are great people and great Americans.”
Puerto Rico is an island nation of the United States located in the Caribbean Sea. Although residents are not allowed to vote in US presidential elections, there are many diaspora members across the country who are able to vote.
Hinchcliffe also suggested that Latinos “loved to have children.”
He invoked racist metaphors about black people and watermelons, eliciting roars from the audience. He also invoked anti-Semitic metaphors, calling on Palestinians to throw stones while implying that Jews don’t spend money in the same sentence.
The BBC’s U.S. partner CBS said a source familiar with the incident said the Trump campaign had vetted Hinchcliffe’s list of jokes and confirmed that the comments about Puerto Rico, Latinos and black people were ad-libbed. The campaign also said it had cut two profanity jokes.
Trump himself has remained silent about the incident. He faces demands for an apology from Puerto Rico’s archbishop and the island’s Republican Party leader, among others.
Mr Hinchcliffe defended his material following the backlash. “These people have no sense of humor,” he wrote to X in response to criticism from Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.
The comedian further added, “I love Puerto Rico and I’m vacationing there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set.”
Ocasio-Cortez responded, “You don’t ‘love Puerto Rico.’ You like drinking pina coladas. There’s a difference.” She previously said Hinchcliffe’s comments were “very upsetting” and noted that her family is from Puerto Rico.
Other speakers that night stirred controversy with their statements. David Rehm, a childhood friend of President Trump, called Harris the “devil” and “antichrist.”
President Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani also falsely claimed that the Democratic candidate was “on the side of terrorists” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Comments from guest speakers drew attention, but President Trump also used the opportunity to announce a tax credit plan for people caring for parents and loved ones. “It’s about time they were recognized,” he said.
He also spoke of his desire to “rescue” places that have been “invaded and conquered” by “violent and bloodthirsty criminals” and reiterated plans for mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
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Former WWE star wrestler Hulk Hogan takes off his T-shirt while attending a rally
Earlier Sunday, Harris announced policies aimed at helping the people of Puerto Rico, drawing support from Jennifer Lopez, who has Puerto Rican parents, Bad Bunny and others. Many other celebrities have already supported her.
Bad Bunny is a video of Harris talking about the island, her thoughts on helping residents, and how President Trump responded as president to Hurricane Maria in 2017, which killed about 3,000 people. Posted multiple times.
A source close to Bad Bunny confirmed to CBS that this was a break with his longstanding tradition of supporting Harris and staying out of national politics.
There has been an exodus from Puerto Rico over the past seven years, with residents moving to the mainland United States, including Florida, and battleground states such as North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Puerto Ricans are now reportedly the second largest Latino subgroup in these states.
Bad Bunny’s comments appeared to be pre-planned and did not address Hinchcliffe’s remarks. But fellow Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin told fans, “This is what they think of us,” and urged them to vote for Harris.
About 36 million Hispanic voters are eligible to vote this year, according to the Pew Research Center. They generally form the main base of the Democratic coalition, but Republicans are eating into their support.
What does MAGA mean to you?
Madison Square Garden, located near the city center, is one of the most famous venues in the world and can seat approximately 20,000 people.
It is also President Trump’s hometown and the city where he received his historic conviction earlier this year.
New York is seen by some as an interesting choice for the final weeks of the campaign, but it is a solidly blue state and will not be decisive in the race for the White House.
Who is Tony Hinchcliffe?
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Tony Hinchcliffe is a stand-up comedian based in Austin, Texas, known for his podcast Kill Tony. The show gives stand-up comedians the chance to audition for 60 seconds in front of Hinchcliffe and co-host Brian Redbun.
The podcast has 1.89 million subscribers on YouTube.
The comedian grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and called himself the “class clown.” He got his start in comedy by working for Joe Rogan and writing jokes for celebrities on Comedy Central Roast.
This isn’t the first time some of his comments have made headlines for their offensive nature.
In 2021, he made a racial slur about American-Chinese comedian Peng Deng during a comedy set and refused to apologize.
“I knew what I did was wrong,” Hinchcliffe said in response to Variety’s questions about the controversy, adding: “I was so stunned because it was a joke. Comedians don’t make jokes. My stance is that we should never apologize for that.”
Hinchcliffe was one of the comedians who appeared on former NFL star Tom Brady’s Netflix comedy roast earlier this year.
Additional reporting by James FitzGerald and Ana Faguy
North American correspondent Anthony Zurcher explains the race for the White House in his weekly U.S. Elections Unspin newsletter.
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