At a rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024, for presidential hopeful Donald Trump, remarks that were considered racist and anti-immigration drew controversy.
Trump and his allies made some of their last arguments before election day, which is next Tuesday, November 5. Some of these arguments included anti-immigrant slander and other racist stereotypes. Nobody sparked more controversy than comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. One joke he made called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now.” Hinchcliffe faced immediate backlash from both Republicans and Democrats.
Republican representatives from Florida denounced this comment, claiming that it didn’t support their views of the party. Senior adviser to the Trump campaign, Danielle Alvarez, sent out a statement, which read: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
On the Democratic side, the comments sparked a trail of celebrity endorsements for Kamala Harris. Puerto Rican celebrities including Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin took offense to Hitchcliffe’s claims. Martin made a post to Instagram saying, “Puerto Rico, this is what they think of us, vote for Kamala Harris.”
Trump has not publicly commented on the controversy.
