The comedian who opened Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden workshopped his racist joke the night before taking the stage on Sunday.
Tony Hinchcliffe, who infamously called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" during his opening remarks, had made the same joke at The Stand comedy club late Saturday night. He got an equally frigid response.
Hinchcliffe, host of the "Kill Tony" podcast, made a surprise appearance at the club, according to reporting by NBC News, and garnered a few chuckles when he made the joke. He then told the audience multiple times that he would surely get a better reaction "tomorrow at the rally."
He defended his joke on X by claiming it was "taken out of context to make it seem racist," adding, "I love Puerto Rico and vacation there" in response to a video of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.
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
The fallout was so damaging among Puerto Rican and Latino communities that Trump released a statement distancing himself from the racist remark. "This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign," it read.
Several Republican lawmakers and figures also came out to criticize Hinchcliffe, while Democrats took the opportunity to use it as an advantage, even featuring the line in political ads.
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