Republicans and celebrities are reacting with fury to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist joke about Puerto Rico during Donald Trump’s marathon rally at Madison Square Garden.
The controversial comedian sparked backlash when he took to the stage at Sunday night’s event in New York City and compared the Caribbean island to “garbage.”
“There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now,” Hinchcliffe said. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
The fallout from the joke, which fell flat in the stadium, comes as Kamala Harris revealed her plans for the US territory on the same day. “Puerto Rico is home to some of the most talented, innovative and ambitious people in our nation,” she said. “Puerto Ricans deserve a president who sees and invests in that strength.”
Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny threw his support behind Harris by sharing the campaign video of her plans for Puerto Ricans with his 45 million followers on Instagram.
He shared a clip where Harris said: “I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader.”
Jennifer Lopez also took the opportunity to share her support for Harris by reposting the video with emojis of the Puerto Rican flag and a ballot box, signaling she had voted for the Democrat.
Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin shared the clip of Hinchcliffe’s offensive joke on Instagram and said: “This is what they think of us. Vote for @kamalaharris.”
Several Republicans have also publicly condemned the comedian’s comments while the Trump campaign is now attempting to distance itself from the remarks.
In a statement, senior Trump adviser Danielle Alvarez claimed the joke “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
Florida Senator Rick Scott posted a statement on X saying the “joke bombed for a reason.”
“It’s not funny and it’s not true,” he said. “Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans! I’ve been to the island many times. It’s a beautiful place. Everyone should visit! I will always do whatever I can to help any Puerto Rican in Florida or on the island.”
Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar also slammed Hinchcliffe and said his views do not “reflect GOP values.”
“Disgusted by @TonyHinchcliffe’s racist comment calling Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage,” she wrote on X. “This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values. Puerto Rico sent 48,000+ soldiers to Vietnam, with over 345 Purple Hearts awarded. This bravery deserves respect.”
Democrats also quickly slammed Hinchcliffe’s comments – and the Trump campaign for platforming them.
Tim Walz and New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded while on live streaming platform Twitch, where the Minnesota governor called Hinchcliffe a “jackwad” and recalled how Trump responded to Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017.
“Does anybody remember how [Trump] responded to [hurricane] Maria in Puerto Rico? It was absolutely horrific,” Walz said. “Down there, insulting people. People in Puerto Rico are citizens, they pay taxes, they’re in the military.”
Ocasio-Cortez added that the joke was “super upsetting.” She said: “When you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico floating garbage, know that that’s what they think about you. That’s what they think about anybody who makes less money than them.”
Hinchcliffe addressed the pair’s criticism in a post on X, where he claimed they had taken the joke “out of context.”
“These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist,” Hinchcliffe said. “I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set. I’m a comedian Tim…might be time to change your tampon.”
Ocasio-Cortez responded to his post: “Can’t get over this dude telling someone else to change tampons when he’s the one s***ing bricks in his. Depends after realizing opening for a Trump rally and feeding red-meat racism alongside a throng of other bigots to a frothing crowd does, unironically, make you one of them.”