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.
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Hinchcliffe also suggested Latinos “loved making babies”.
He drew on racist tropes about black people and watermelons, which prompted groans from the audience – and he called Palestinians rock-throwers while in the same sentence suggested Jews would not spend money – invoking an antisemitic trope.
The comedian later defended his material. “These people have no sense of humour,” he wrote on X in response to criticism from Democratic lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz.
He added: “I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone… watch the whole set.”
Ocasio-Cortez responded, saying: “You don’t ‘love Puerto Rico’. You like drinking piña coladas. There’s a difference.”
She had earlier said Hinchcliffe’s comments were “super upsetting”, noting that her family was from Puerto Rico.
The night’s other speakers courted controversy with their own remarks. David Rem, a childhood friend of Trump, called Harris “the devil” and “the antichrist”.
And Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani falsely claimed the Democratic candidate was “on the side of the terrorists” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Although much of the focus was on the comments by his guest speakers, Trump used the occasion to announce a plan for tax credits for those who take care of a parent or a loved one. “It’s about time that they were recognised,” he said.
He also reiterated plans for a mass deportation for illegal migrants, speaking of his wish to “rescue” places that had been “invaded and conquered” by “vicious and bloodthirsty criminals”.
Reported by BBC
