Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe caused outrage with his comment about Puerto Rico at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday, and prompted backlash from President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other key figures in both the Democratic and Republican parties.
Hinchcliffe, a comic and host of the podcast Kill Tony, spoke at the recent Trump rally in New York City. His segment included several jokes that leaned on racial stereotypes, including a controversial comment about Puerto Rico.
“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,” said Hinchcliffe. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
During the rest of his remarks, Hinchcliffe drew on other racist tropes about black people, Palestinians, Jews, and Latinos.
How did Biden, Harris, and Trump respond to the comments?
Biden had reportedly responded to these comments during a Zoom call with a Latino civic organization, where he appeared to respond to Hinchcliffe's set by referring to Trump supporters as "garbage," Fox News reported.
While interviewed by Fox News, Harris responded to Biden's comments, stating, "I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for."
US politicians from both parties responded to Hinchcliffe's comments. Republican Senator Rick Scott was quoted by BBC as saying, "The joke bombed for a reason. It's not funny, and it's not true...Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans."
Republican Congresswoman from Florida Maria Elvira Salazar wrote on X/Twitter that she was "disgusted by Tony Hinchcliffe's racist comment calling Puerto Rico a 'floating island of garbage."
Disgusted by @TonyHinchcliffe’s racist comment calling Puerto Rico a 'floating island of garbage.' 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!
— María Elvira Salazar (@MaElviraSalazar) October 27, 2024
Salazar also wrote that Hinchcliffe's rhetoric "does not reflect GOP values."
According to the New York Post, Republican Senator Marco Rubio condemned the comment but defended Trump’s campaign, saying, “Puerto Rico isn’t garbage, it’s home to fellow American citizens who have made tremendous contributions to our country."
"I understand why some people were offended by a comedian's jokes last night. But those weren’t Trump’s words. They were jokes by an insult comic who offends virtually everyone, all the time...because that is what insult comedians do.”
Following this incident, Trump remained silent, facing calls to apologize from the Puerto Rican archbishop and other key figures. A source from CBS confirmed that Hinchcliffe’s sketch was vetted by the Trump campaign but that the comments about Puerto Rico, Latinos, and black people were unplanned.
Hinchcliffe defended his content after receiving backlash for his set. On his X/Twitter account, Hinchcliffe wrote, “These people have no sense of humor … I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone … watch the whole set.”
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
In response to his post, Democratic Senator Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, “You don’t ‘love Puerto Rico.’ You like drinking piña coladas. There’s a difference.” Calling him an “a-hole” and disappointed in his comments, Ocasio-Cortez was joined by celebrities including Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez, both of whom are of Puerto Rican descent.