TOI CORRESPONDENT FROM WASHINGTON: It was meant to be funny. Instead, it could turn out to be a serious mistake. Throwaway lines by a comedian who labeled Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” at Trump rally, bookended by other speakers calling Kamala Harris a “devil” and suggesting she began her career as a prostitute, has exploded across US political spectrum with just about a week to go before Election Day on November 5.
At a packed rally in Madison Square Gardens (MSG) in New York City which critics said had echoes of a Nazi rally in 1939, speaker after speaker excoriated Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party, minorities, and immigrants in disparaging and derogatory terms to an extent even moderate Republicans reeled back.
Few were more toxic and coarse than Tony Hinchcliffe, a little-known comedian, whose “humorous” riff included the following lines: “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.” He then went on to say, “These Latinos, they love making babies, too…..There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country.”
Among speakers who preceded Trump’s address to his MAGA faithful, his childhood friend David Rem referred to Kamala Harris as “the Antichrist” and “the devil,” and Businessman Grant Cardone told the crowd that Harris ”and her pimp handlers will destroy our country.” Other speakers called for metaphorically “slaughtering” political opponents, while Trump himself spoke of an ally “decapitate” a fake reporter on a tv show.
The slurs caused outrage among many Latinos, minorities, and women even as a panicked Trump campaign said Hinchcliffe’s joke “does not reflect the views of President Trump.” Prominent Latinos of Puerto Rican heritage, including superstar Bad Bunny, one of the biggest recording artists in the world, singer Ricky Martin, and actress Jennifer Lopez among others shared videos expressing supporting Kamala Harris even as MAGA Republicans running for office in areas with Latino voters quickly dissociated themselves from the smears.
“This joke bombed for a reason. It’s not funny and it’s not true. Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans!” said Rick Scott, a Trump acolyte who is running to retain the senate seat in Florida, which has a large Latino and Puerto Rican population. “This is not a joke. It’s completely classless & in poor taste. Puerto Rico is the crown jewel of the Caribbean & home to many of the most patriotic Americans I know,” said Carlos Giminez, a Cuban-American lawmaker also running to retain his seat in Congress.
The timing of the smear could not have been worse for MAGA candidates, coming just hours after Kamala Harris wrapped up a campaign to court Latinos in Pennsylvania by visiting a local Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia. She talked about a new plan she announced on Sunday to bring economic opportunities to Puerto Rico, discussed her visit there after Hurricane Maria, and said that even as a senator she had “felt a need and an obligation” to “make sure Puerto Rico’s needs were met,” reminding them that as president,Trump had resisted sending aid to the island after back-to-back hurricanes, and had offered nothing but “paper towels and insults.”
Puerto Rico, a Caribbean island, is unincorporated US territory, and although it is not technically an American state, Puerto Ricans are considered US citizens and can vote in US elections if they are registered in the mainland (but not on the island). Since 2017, there has been an exodus of Puerto Ricans from the island, and they constitute significant voting blocs in Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina — all battleground states — and Florida.