NOS News•today, 10:47
Jokes at a Trump campaign rally about the American island of Puerto Rico led to fierce reactions. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny immediately expressed his support for Harris and even Republicans criticized him. The Trump campaign itself is now also distancing itself from it.
In the run-up to a speech by Trump, comedian Tony Hinchcliff warmed up the crowd in Madison Square Garden. The host of the comedy theater show Kill Tony is known for his harsh jokes about everything and everyone.
“I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally an island of trash floating in the middle of the ocean,” Hinchcliff joked. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
He also targeted Latinos in general with a vulgar pun because they “love making babies.” The jokes were well received by the audience.
Check out what Hinchcliff said here:
Comedian makes offensive jokes about Puerto Rico
The mockery is striking because Latinos are an important voter group that both Trump and Harris are trying to win over.
Just yesterday, Harris stopped by a Puerto Rican restaurant in Pennsylvania. About half a million Puerto Ricans live in that swing state.
Because the margins between Trump and Harris are so small, the Latino vote could prove decisive. This voter group does not necessarily vote Democratic: an important part of it is religious and socially conservative or small entrepreneurs, groups that feel at home with the Republicans. Moreover, a large part does not feel addressed by Trump’s fierce rhetoric about illegal migrants.
The importance of these voters is evident in states such as Virginia and New Mexico. Once swing states, but partly due to demographic developments among Latinos, they now vote Democratic. This election year, the group can play a decisive role, especially in swing state Nevada.
What increases the importance of Latinos is that this population group has almost doubled since 2000, from 35 million to 65 million. The influence is somewhat dampened by the fact that fewer voters use their vote and the group is also young, traditionally a population group with a moderate turnout.
‘Racist’
No wonder then that Democratic politicians react strongly to Hinchcliff’s jokes. “If such a bag calls Puerto Rico ‘floating trash’, you immediately know what they think about you,” warns Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, herself of Puerto Rican descent.
Puerto Rican celebrities are also reacting with concern. The biggest boost for Harris is the response from rapper Bad Bunny, who expressed his support for the Democrat with a video of her. The Harris campaign had been angling for support from the popular artist for some time, but he had held off because he wanted to focus on the politics of the island itself.
Other Puerto Rican artists also shared Harris’ message with their tens of millions of followers, such as Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez. Slowlysinger Luis Fonsi reacted the most strongly and spoke hateful language.
“I love sharp ridicule but this is no longer a comedy,” he wrote on Instagram. “You are allowed to have different views and I respect everyone who has different views, but that has nothing to do with this racism. I am proudly Puertorriqueño and Latino!”
Trump has often been criticized in the past for his attitude towards Puerto Rico. For example, there was a lot of criticism when he withheld aid funds after Hurricane Maria, which killed hundreds of people in 2017, and the island suffered power outages for months.
Republican criticism
Even for some Republicans, the comments went too far. Representative María Elvira Salazar of Florida spoke of disgusting racism. “This rhetoric does not represent the Republican Party.”
“The joke was dead for a reason: it was not funny and it was not true,” said Senator Rick Scott from Florida. He hopes to be re-elected as a Republican senator from that state with a large Latino minority.
The Trump campaign also distanced itself from Hinchcliff with a brief announcement. “The joke is not President Trump’s or the campaign’s position.”
‘No sense of humor’
Hinchcliff himself dismisses all the fuss: “These people have no sense of humor.”
“I love Puerto Rico and even go on vacation there. I make fun of everyone, just look at my whole performance.”
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