Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe has come under heavy criticism for making racist jokes about Latinos, Black voters and the Middle East conflict during pre-programming for former President Donald Trump's rally in New York.
The event, held at Madison Square Garden, was part of Trump's final push to win votes, with just nine days left until the election. Although Manhattan is a Democratic area, Trump gathered thousands of supporters and nearly 30 well-known allies and speakers.
Hinchcliffe opened the rally with his controversial set, stirring reactions from the crowd. "These Latinos, they love making babies, too. Just know that they do," he said, before continuing to make crude remarks about how they entered the United States, NBC News reported.
A few moments later, Hinchcliffe took another jab at a major voting group within the community -- the Puerto Ricans.
"There's a lot going on. I don't know if you guys 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," he said. Hinchcliffe also joked about one of his Black friends, saying they "carved watermelons" together.
Trump campaign's senior adviser Danielle Alvarez clarified immediately that the comedian's jokes "does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign."
Several other speakers at the Madison Square Garden rally used vulgar language and made insulting remarks about Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democratic leaders.
Radio host Sid Rosenberg called Hillary Clinton "a sick son of a b----," while Trump supporter David Rem from New York City labeled Harris as the "Antichrist."
There is a large Puerto Rican community in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state where Trump and Harris are in a very close race. Last month, Trump invited Puerto Rican artist Anuel AA to join him onstage at a rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to show support for the Republican campaign.
On a livestream with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York, the vice president's running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, reacted to the comedian's comments on Sunday afternoon.
"Who is that jack-wad? Who is that guy?" Walz asked, then added, "People in Puerto Rico are citizens. They pay tax and they serve in the military at almost a higher rate than anybody else."
"Obviously, it's super upsetting to me," Ocasio-Cortez said. "I need people to understand that when you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico floating garbage, know that that's what they think about you."
Hinchcliffe took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to respond to Ocasio-Cortez and Walz, noting "These people have no sense of humor."
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. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set. I’m a… https://t.co/VFxHRcdv5k
— Tony Hinchcliffe (@TonyHinchcliffe) October 27, 2024
Aside from Ocasio-Cortez and Walz, several Republicans did not appreciate Hinchcliffe's jokes. For instance, Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla called Hinchcliffe's jokes "racist," adding that she felt "disgusted."
Disgusted by @TonyHinchcliffe’s racist comment calling Puerto Rico a 'floating island of garbage.'
— María Elvira Salazar 🇺🇸 (@MaElviraSalazar) October 27, 2024
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.
Educate yourself!
"Puerto Rico sent 48,000+ soldiers to Vietnam, with over 345 Purple Hearts awarded. This bravery deserves respect. Educate yourself!" she added.
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