Former US President and candidate of the Republican Party in the November 5 US presidential election Donald Trump, has come under intense criticism from his Democratic Party rival, Kamala Harris over a slur comment made by a comedian against Puerto Rico at his campaign rally on Sunday.
There has been widespread condemnation from both Republicans and Democrats after the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at Trump’s rally called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage”
Hinchcliffe drew on racist stereotypes in jokes about Latinos, black people and Jewish people, which the Harris campaign attacked calling it as “dangerously divisive”.
However, the Trump campaign has since said that the comment does “not reflect” the Republican candidate’s views. Trump told thousands of his
supporters in New York’s Madison Square Garden he would deport millions of migrants.
The furore came on the same day that Harris won the backing of Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny – one of the world’s top Latin celebrities.
Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have been attempting to appeal to the large diaspora of Puerto Ricans living in the US mainland.
According to the latest census in 2021, at least 5.8 million Puerto Ricans lived in the US and the group accounts for about 9% of the
Latino population.
Florida has the largest diaspora, with 1.2 million Puerto Ricans living there, and it’s closely followed by New York, with a population
of 950,000.
But the fallout from Tony Hinchcliffe’s jokes could matter most in Pennsylvania – a battleground state that could swing in either
direction – where 450,000 Puerto Ricans reside.
Recall that Puerto Rico is a US territory, but people living on the island cannot vote in the presidential election. It doesn’t carry any
Electoral College votes, but residents are permitted to participate in the presidential primary.
Since the island is a US territory, Puerto Ricans who move to the US mainland can do so freely, without visas. They have statutory
citizenship and can carry American passports. If a Puerto Rican moves to a US state and registers to vote there, they’d be able to cast a ballot.
Donald Trump’s rally in New York City’s Madison Square Garden was supposed to be a political show of strength in the home stretch of the presidential campaign. Instead, the Trump team is performing damage control after Tony Hinchcliffe’s controversial joke about Latinos and the US territory of Puerto Rico.
According to US media partner CBS, one campaign adviser expressed frustration that Hinchcliffe’s remarks are overshadowing the former
president’s intended closing message. Trump has been assiduously courting Latino voters – particularly men – during this election season, and polls suggest he has made inroads into a typically Democratic constituency.
While rare, this is not the first time during this election cycle that the Trump campaign has disavowed controversial comments made by a
supporter.
In mid-September, conservative activist Laura Loomer – who had been travelling with the former president – made derisive comments on social media about Kamala Harris’s Indian heritage. Trump would ultimately say that he disagreed with her statements, even as she had the right to “saw what she wants”.
With just eight days until the election, however, every twist on the campaign trail at this point is magnified. The latest news – for good
or bad – is often at the top of voter minds when they head to the ballot boxes.
In a tight race like this, small shifts in voter sentiment could be the difference between victory and defeat.
A Trump campaign adviser has told the BBC’s US news partner, CBS News, they are frustrated that controversial remarks made by a comedian –
and the public backlash that has followed – have upstaged the Republican’s candidate’s intended messaging at his New York rally.
Donald Trump’s rally last night started with a series of warm-up acts who have stirred controversy in their speeches.
Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi has slammed vulgar remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe and urged Americans of Puerto Rican origin to “show the strength of our people at the polls and every day”.
Pierluisi, a Democrat who has endorsed Kamala Harris, reposted Hinchcliffe’s comments on X and wrote: “Garbage is what came out of the mouth of @TonyHinchcliffe, and everyone who cheered him on should be ashamed of themselves for disrespecting Puerto Rico like this.
“These remarks highlight the prejudice and racism still alive in our Nation, and how important it is to elect leaders that reject and combat this bigotry,” he added. “America is better than this and
deserves better.”
His predecessor, Ricardo Rossello, also condemned the remarks as “egregious” and “insulting”.
Speaking to NewsNation, the former governor noted that New York is home to more than a million Puerto Ricans. Rossello said Hinchcliffe’s comments “will cost President Trump if he does not address this”.
