Following a fiery weekend rally at Madison Square Garden, where a comedian warming up for former President Donald Trump called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” Democrats have escalated their attacks, framing Trump’s campaign as a tour of grievances rather than a vision for America. The comment, made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, drew swift condemnation and opened up criticism from Puerto Rican leaders, Latino communities, and the Biden-Harris campaign.
Vice President Kamala Harris wasted no time in seizing on the controversy, describing Trump’s rally as “more vivid than usual” in its divisive rhetoric. “He fans the fuel of hate,” Harris said before heading to a campaign stop in Michigan. President Joe Biden joined in, calling the event “simply embarrassing.”
Late Sunday, in a rare move, the Trump campaign attempted to distance itself from Hinchcliffe’s remarks with a statement that read, “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.” But critics, including Harris and local Puerto Rican officials, argued that this wasn’t enough to address the insult.
“The garbage he spoke about is polluting our elections and shows just how little Donald Trump cares about Latinos and our Puerto Rican community,” said Eddie Moran, the mayor of Reading, Pennsylvania, during a news conference alongside other Puerto Rican leaders. As the election looms, the backlash highlights the importance of Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes and the growing influence of the state’s Puerto Rican voters, who make up a significant portion of Pennsylvania’s Latino community.
Fernando Tormos-Aponte, a Puerto Rican politics expert at the University of Pittsburgh, noted that the timing of the remarks could spell trouble for Trump’s campaign. “When you combine yesterday’s comments with other grievances Puerto Ricans have, you’re not engaging in sound political strategy,” Tormos-Aponte explained.
While Trump remained silent on the insult to Puerto Rico, he was quick to respond to other attacks against him during campaign stops in Georgia. Harris’s recent comment on a radio show that labeled him a “fascist” clearly got under Trump’s skin. At a rally in Atlanta, he fired back, calling Harris the true “fascist” and insisted, “I’m not a Nazi. I’m the opposite of a Nazi.”
Trump also lashed out at former First Lady Michelle Obama, warning that she made a “big mistake” by being “nasty” to him in a recent speech. Yet, he made no mention of Hinchcliffe’s remarks, leaving Democrats to fill the silence with fresh criticism.
In Pennsylvania, Harris’s team released a new online ad targeting Puerto Rican voters, featuring Hinchcliffe’s insulting comment. Puerto Rican music star Bad Bunny voiced support for Harris, amplifying her campaign’s appeal to Puerto Rican and Latino voters.
The controversy also prompted comments from Republicans, some of whom tried to downplay the incident. Senator JD Vance, Trump’s vice-presidential pick, responded vaguely during an appearance in Wisconsin, saying, “Maybe it’s a stupid racist joke, as you said. Maybe it’s not. I haven’t seen it. I’m not going to comment on the specifics of the joke.” He added, “We have to stop getting so offended at every little thing.”
Despite these attempts to dismiss the fallout, Harris’s campaign continued to leverage the moment. Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, delivered a speech in Pittsburgh addressing the rise of antisemitism in America, while also alluding to the divisive rhetoric of Trump’s rally. “There is a fire in this country, and we either pour water on it or pour gasoline,” Emhoff said, underscoring the Harris campaign’s narrative that Trump’s words and actions are sowing division.
In a notable display of solidarity, Puerto Rican leaders in Pennsylvania joined Harris in condemning the rally remarks. Pennsylvania’s Latino eligible voter population has more than doubled since 2000, with over half being Puerto Rican. Democratic leaders like Rep. Darren Soto of Florida, whose district includes large Puerto Rican communities, added to the criticism, promising, “We remember, and you know what, we are going to vote.”
As Harris pointed out in her remarks on Monday, the vitriol from Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally doesn’t represent the dreams and aspirations of the American people. “He is fixated on his grievances, on himself, and on dividing our country,” Harris told reporters. “What he did last night is not a discovery. It’s just more of the same – more vivid, perhaps, but the same divisive playbook.”
In response to the insult to Puerto Rico, Harris also underscored her commitment to the island’s future, proposing initiatives such as a task force to improve the electrical grid through private investments. With Election Day approaching, the Harris campaign aims to connect these policies to a broader message of unity, contrasting sharply with Trump’s grievance-filled rallies.
On Tuesday, Trump planned a return visit to Pennsylvania, where he was expected to stop in Allentown following an appearance at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The question remains: will Pennsylvania’s growing Latino community, especially Puerto Ricans, buy into his rhetoric, or will they turn out in numbers to push back? The answer could shape the outcome of this fiercely contested election.
