Donald Trump’s recent rally at Madison Square Garden featured comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who made some tasteless comments about Puerto Rico. Multiple politicians and celebrities responded to his jokes, which prompted him to reply via X.
“These people have no sense of humor,” Hinchcliffe wrote on Sunday (Oct. 27). “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.”
His tweet was a quote tweet of a clip where Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reacted to his speech via Twitch. “When you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico ‘floating garbage,’ know that that’s what they think about you,” AOC said. “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.”
“Who is this jackwad?” Tim Walz asked. “People in Puerto Rico are citizens. They pay taxes and serve in the military, almost at a higher rate than anybody else.” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took his commentary personally because she is of Puerto Rican descent. “It’s super upsetting to me,” she said. “The thing that is so messed up that I wish more people understood is that the things that they do in Puerto Rico are a testing ground for the policies and the horrors that they unveil in working class communities across the United States.”
Tony Hinchcliffe’s speech on Sunday, though humorous to him, was highly disparaging. “I welcome migrants to the United States of America with open arms,” he said, as reported by Rolling Stone. “And by open arms I mean like this,” he continued whilst gesturing with his hands in a way that could be interpreted as telling someone to “go away.”
He continued his speech with comments on Puerto Rican fertility and how it is symbolic of them invading the United States. “These Latinos, they love making babies, too. Just know that they do,” Hinchcliffe added, per NBC News. “There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They c*m inside, just like they did to our country.” He went on to call Puerto Rico a “floating piece of garbage” before turning his attention to Black people in the audience, discussing carving watermelons with a “Black buddy.”
Tony Hinchcliffe’s commentary also offended Bad Bunny, who is proudly Puerto Rican. Benito threw his support behind Kamala Harris by sharing a clip on Instagram where she discusses her commitment to assisting Puerto Ricans. He quadrupled down by editing a clip where she says “I will never forget what Donald Trump did” and reposting it three times, each post more zoomed in than the previous one.