Former President Donald Trump’s election rally at Madison Sq. Gardens, which was billed as a triumphant homecoming, was marred by controversy after comic Tony Hinchcliffe referred to as Puerto Rico a “floating island of rubbish.”
The joke drew fast criticism from each Democrats and Republicans, prompting the Trump marketing campaign to distance itself from the feedback.
Trump’s rally included dozens of audio system, together with former skilled wrestler Hulk Hogan, Melania Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. However Hinchcliffe’s feedback grabbed headlines at considered one of Trump’s greatest election rallies only a week earlier than the Nov. 5 election.
The occasion started with comic Tony Hinchcliffe, host of the ‘Kill Tony’ podcast, who opened the rally with a set filled with insults about Latinos, African People and different teams.
Hinchcliffe mentioned that Latinos “love having infants,” a joke that precipitated uncertainty among the many crowd. The comic doubled down on his remark, saying, “I do not know if you understand this, however proper now there may be actually a floating island of trash in the course of the ocean. I feel it is referred to as Puerto Rico.”
The joke created an uproar on-line and drew harsh criticism, with Congresswoman Mara Elvira Salazar saying she was “disgusted” by Hinchcliffe’s remark.
“As a Puerto Rican, I’m tempted to name Hinchcliffe a racist trash, however to take action can be an insult to the trash. When casting their vote on the voting cubicles, Latinos ought to always remember the racism that Donald Trump appears very prepared to advertise.” mentioned Congressman Ritchie Torres whereas sharing the video of his remark.
“You’re opening as much as Trump by calling Puerto Rico a floating pile of rubbish. Greater than 4,000 Puerto Ricans died beneath his watch,” mentioned Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Jennifer López, Dangerous Bunny and Ricky Martin instantly responded to the remark by sharing a clip of Kamala Harris’ video through which she criticizes Donald Trump for withholding assist to the island after the hurricane.
Ricky Martin, the Puerto Rican singer with 18.6 million followers on Instagram, shortly shared a video of Harris’ enchantment to Puerto Rican voters, together with a clip of Hinchcliffe’s feedback.
“That is what they consider us,” Martin wrote in Spanish, urging voters to vote for Kamala Harris.
Dangerous Bunny additionally shared part of Kamala Harris’ speech the place she mentioned: “I’ll always remember what Donald Trump did and didn’t do when Puerto Rico wanted a reliable and supportive chief.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, whereas reacting to the video of Hinchcliffe’s feedback throughout a broadcast with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, requested, “Who is that this moron?”
In response to Waltz’s criticism, Hinchcliffe mentioned his remark was taken out of “context” to make it seem racist.
“These folks haven’t any humorousness. It is loopy {that a} vice presidential candidate would take day out of his “busy schedule” to investigate a joke taken out of context to make it appear racist. I like Puerto Rico and holidays there. I like I mocked. Everybody… take a look at the entire set. I am a comic Tim… perhaps it is time to change your tampon,” he mentioned.
