Republicans are looking to minimize the fallout from comments made during former president Donald Trump’s campaign rally on Sunday referring to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
The joke, made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe before Trump spoke, has prompted widespread criticism from both sides of the aisle, including from celebrities who condemned the comments and used it as an opportunity to express support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), whose family is Puerto Rican, went so far as to compare the rally to a smaller version of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
“This was a hate rally,” Ocasio-Cortez said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “This was not just a presidential rally, this was not just a campaign rally. I think it’s important for people to understand these are mini Jan. 6 rallies, these are mini Stop the Steal rallies.”
Singers Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin, who are Puerto Rican, even went so far as to share a video of Harris criticizing former Trump for his past comments about the country.
“I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and competent leader,” Harris says in the video that the singers reposted several times. “He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes, and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.”
A number of Republican lawmakers also sought to distance themselves from the rhetoric, including lawmakers from Florida, which has a significant Puerto Rican population.
“It’s not funny and it’s not true,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said in a post on X. “Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans! I’ve been to the island many times. It’s a beautiful place. Everyone should visit! I will always do whatever I can to help any Puerto Rican in Florida or on the island.”
“Puerto Rico is the crown jewel of the Caribbean & home to many of the most patriotic Americans I know,” added Rep. Carlos Giminez (R-FL) in his own post. “[Tony Hinchcliffe] clearly isn’t funny & definitely doesn’t reflect my values or those of the Republican Party.”
That criticism was shared by GOP lawmakers in other states, especially among those who are running in tight reelection races and looking to garner support from the key voting demographic.
“My mom was born and raised in Puerto Rico,” Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), who is running in one of the most competitive House races of the cycle, posted on X. “It’s a beautiful island with a rich culture and an integral part of the USA. The only thing that’s ‘garbage’ was a bad comedy set. Stay on message.”
While the joke created some political headaches for Republicans who are making inroads with Hispanic voters, Hinchcliffe was “poking fun” at Puerto Rico’s trash problem, noted Michael Shellenberger, a Twitter Files journalist and professor.
“The media are claiming that a comedian at the Trump rally today made a racist joke about Puerto Ricans,” posted Shellenberger, the University of Austin CBR Chair of Politics, Censorship, and Free Speech. “He didn’t. He was poking fun at the island’s infamous trash problem. The media are acting ignorant about it but they have covered it for years.”
The media are claiming that a comedian at the Trump rally today made a racist joke about Puerto Ricans. He didn’t. He was poking fun at the island’s infamous trash problem. The media are acting ignorant about it but they have covered it for years —> pic.twitter.com/GvCuiq2jX6
— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) October 28, 2024
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The Trump campaign sought to distance itself from the joke as well, noting in a statement on Sunday evening that the comment “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
“It was a comedian who made a joke in poor taste,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Monday on Fox News.