A comedian at a Donald Trump rally called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage”, sparking fury from Republicans and Democrats and accusations of racism.
The comic, Tony Hinchcliffe, was among the speakers at the Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday. He also made a series of jokes that leant on racist stereotypes.
A Trump adviser distanced the former president from the Puerto Rico joke, which was also denounced by Trump’s Democratic rival, Kamala Harris. Harris herself was the target of another Trump warm-up speaker who also sparked controversy.
The furore came as one of the world’s top Latin celebrities, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, endorsed Harris for president.
In his joke, Hinchcliffe, known as Kill Tony, said: “There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you know this but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
The line appeared to meet a mixed reception. Two Republicans in the state of Florida, which has a prominent Puerto Rican population, were among those who called out the joke.
US congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar said she was “disgusted” by the “racist comment”. She said on X that it did not “reflect the GOP values”, referring to the Republican Party, and noted thousands of Puerto Ricans served in the military.
US Senator Rick Scott said: “The joke bombed for a reason. It’s not funny and it’s not true.” He added that “Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans”.
Puerto Rico is a US island territory in the Caribbean. Its residents are unable to vote in US presidential elections, but there is a large diaspora across the US who can.
Hinchcliffe also suggested Latinos “loved making babies”.
Credit: bbc.com
