US election live: backlash grows over Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist Puerto Rican jokes at Trump rally
Key events
Alleged “comedian” Tony Hinchcliffe doubles down on hateful jokes at Trump rally.
In response to Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s objection to his racist jokes, made at Donald Trump’s rally held at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night, Hinchcliffe posted on X:
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 comedian Tim…might be time to change your tampon.
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
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez says she found Tony Hinchcliffe’s jokes at Trump’s rally “super upsetting.”
Hinchcliffe’s racist jokes included:
“There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
“These Latinos, they love making babies too. Just know that. They do. They do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside. Just like they did to our country.”
Democratic representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), who is of Puerto Rican descent, was watching the comedian’s set with Vice President candidate Tim Walz and commented:
When you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico ‘floating garbage,’ know that that’s what they think about you. It’s what they think about anyone who makes less money than them… I want every Puerto Rican in Philadelphia and Reading and across the country to see this clip”
Gov. Walz and @AOC react to this clip: “When you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico ‘floating garbage,’ know that that’s what they think about you. It’s what they think about anyone who makes less money than them… I want every Puerto Rican in Philadelphia and Reading and… pic.twitter.com/y9DQTABM0v
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) October 27, 2024
Tech titan Elon Musk spoke at the MSG rally and introduced Melania Trump.
Trump called Musk “a genius” and “special”.
Musk said: “Your money is being wasted, and the department of government efficiency is going to fix that.”
Trump’s claim that Musk is a genius is undermined slightly by his business record. Several of Musk’s enterprises, including Tesla and SpaceX, have relied on US subsidies and government contracts.
Musk’s stewardship of Tesla has been marked by over-promising and under-delivering on a range of products, including fully self-driving vehicles; the so-called Hyperloop, which was intended to revolutionise transport, ended up being scrapped to build a parking lot; two million Tesla cars had to be recalled due to safety concerns, and the Tesla Roadster, a car promised to consumers in 2017, was delayed again this year.
Since purchasing Twitter (now X) for $44bn, the value of the social media platform has been reduced by over half.
Musk has also faced criticism after reports that he has spoken privately with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump campaign distances itself from racist jokes at rally
Donald Trump’s campaign has moved to distance the presidential hopeful from racist insults aimed at Puerto Ricans amid a backlash over remarks at a rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden last night.
“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,” said Tony Hinchcliffe, a stand-up comic told the Republican event. His set also included lewd and racist comments about Latinos, Jews and Black people, all key constituencies in the election just nine days away.
His joke was immediately criticised by Kamala Harris’ campaign. Puerto Rican music superstar Bad Bunny backed Harris shortly after Hinchcliffe’s appearance.
The normally pugnacious Trump campaign took the rare step of distancing itself from Hinchcliffe. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a statement.
Angel Cintron, the head of the GOP on the island, and US representative Maria Elvira Salazar, who represents parts of Miami and has participated in recent Trump events, were among Republicans to criticise Hinchcliffe’s comments.
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
Luis Fonsi, a Puerto Rican artist who sings the hit “Despacito,” went on Instagram and wrote “going down this racist path ain’t it.”
“We are not OK with this constant hate,” he wrote in a message shared on Instagram. “It’s been abundantly clear that these people have no respect for us.”
The singer Ricky Martin, who had previously endorsed Harris, was also offended by the comment and said “that’s what they think of us,” on Instagram.
More on this shortly, in other developments:
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Trump will join National Faith Advisory Board for a faith summit in Atlanta this afternoon and will attend a rally in the city later.
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Harris and her vice-presidential pick, Tim Walz, to hold a joint campaign rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Monday.
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Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen are holding a campaign rally for Harris in Philadelphia.
