2 weeks Ago
Topline Former President Donald Trump said he didn’t know who comedian Tony Hinchcliffe was before he made a disparaging remark about Puerto Rico during a rally for Trump Sunday at Madison Square Garden, which Trump described as a “love fest” later Tuesday—as the fallout from the comment continues to draw headlines just a week before the election. Key Facts Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here .
Chief Critic Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, also said he hadn’t seen the joke during a rally Monday in Wisconsin, where he suggested it was being dramatized. “We have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America,” he said, adding “I’m so over it.
” Hinchcliffe dismissed the remark as a joke and said “I made fun of everyone” in a social media post responding to the backlash. Contra Puerto Rico Shadow Senator Zoraida Buxo is expected to speak at Trump’s rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, later Tuesday, NBC News reported. Tangent The number of eligible voters who are Latino in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania have more than doubled between 2000 and 2022, and more than half are of Puerto Rican descent, according to the Latino Politics & Policy Institute .
Key Background Hinchcliffe, one of more than two dozen speakers who opened for Trump at his rally Sunday, said “there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now, I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” The comment came as Harris was courting Black and Latino voters in Philadelphia on Sunday and hours after she launched a proposal to create a “Puerto Rico Economy Task Force” to promote economic growth and new jobs on the island if elected. Further Reading Trump Rally Comedian Facing Backlash For Joke About Puerto Ricans—A Key Group In Swing State Pennsylvania (Forbes) ‘We Have To Stop Getting So Offended’: JD Vance Downplays Controversial Puerto Rico Joke That Prompted Outcry (Forbes) Who Is Tony Hinchcliffe? Comedian Calls Puerto Rico 'Island Of Garbage' At Trump Rally (Forbes) Pennsylvania 2024 Trump-Harris Polls: Trump Up 1 Point In Latest Survey (Forbes) Trump Rally Speaker Tony Hinchcliffe Calls Puerto Rico ‘Floating Island Of Garbage’—Campaign, GOP Lawmakers React (Forbes).
