Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe calls Puerto Rico “floating island of trash” at MSG Donald Trump rally.

Topline

Podcast host and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, one of former President Donald Trump's opening speakers at his highly anticipated rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, referred to Puerto Rico as “a floating island of trash” in his speech – a joke that immediately drew criticism from Democrats .

Meanwhile, Tony Hinchcliffe speaks to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump … (+) a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, October 27, 2024, in New York.

Important facts

Hinchcliffe – a famous comedian who hosts the live podcast “Kill Tony” – opened Sunday's rally as one of many speakers before Trump, saying: “There's a lot going on. I don't know if you know this, but right now there is literally a floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”

The remark was met with uncertainty from the crowd, causing Hinchcliffe to laugh and say: “Okay, we're back there, I don't normally hear the national anthem.”

The comment drew criticism online almost immediately. Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said on

Elsewhere in the speech, Hinchcliffe said that Latinos “love having babies” before telling a raunchy joke, leading Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign to call it a “vile racist tirade against Latinos.”

Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, responded to the clip of Hinchcliffe's joke, calling Hinchcliffe an “idiot.”

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Cons

Hinchcliffe responded to the criticism on social media by saying: “These people have no sense of humor” and added: “I love Puerto Rico and vacation there.” I made fun of everyone… look at this whole set. I’m a comedian.”

What you should pay attention to

Who else is speaking at the rally? Multiple media outlets have reported that billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk will be in attendance, as will Trump's running mate from Ohio, Sen. JD Vance, former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., House Speaker Mike Johsnon and former Fox News Host Tucker Carlson. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani also spoke.

Important background

With just nine days until the election, Trump took his campaign to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday. CNN reported that the rally is also expected to be one of Trump's largest fundraisers to date and Trump has long had a desire to hold a rally at the historic venue. Although New York state and the city are historically Democratic strongholds, the former president – a New York native – has previously said he believes he could win New York for the first time since Ronald Reagen in 1984, since According to polls, he is well behind Harris by a margin. While Trump is campaigning in New York, Harris is campaigning in Philadelphia and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is in Henderson, Nevada, near Las Vegas.

tangent

Both parties view Latino voters as a crucial group this year, as multiple polls show Trump is on track to win a larger share of Latinos than in the 2016 or 2020 elections – particularly men, younger voters and voters without a university degree. According to a poll from early October, Harris still leads the group by a 56% to 37% lead, compared to President Joe Biden, who had a 65% to 32% lead in 2020 exit polls.