Trump campaign in damage control mode after comedian’s racist remarks

The Republicans are in damage control mode following shocking racist comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe against Puerto Ricans and others at a rally where Donald Trump was the main speaker.

At the rally held at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Hinchcliffe remarked, “I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” He further insulted Latinos, saying, “They love making babies, too,” followed by a graphic and obscene comment.

Reacting to the remarks, President Joe Biden stated during a campaign call on Tuesday, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”

Trump disowned Hinchcliffe, telling ABC News, “I don’t know him. Someone put him up there.”

Puerto Rican politician Zoraido Buxo came to Trump’s defense, asserting they would not be rattled by the comments and endorsed him. “We won’t get rattled, we won’t yield to ignorance, foolishness, or irrational thoughtlessness. We will remain focused on what’s really important,” she said at Trump’s rally in Allentown, a Latino-majority city in Pennsylvania. Speaking in both English and Spanish, she described Puerto Rico as “a beautiful island, where I was born and raised,” emphasizing its conservative values.

Puerto Rico was ceded to the US by Spain after the Spanish-American War in 1898, but it has a unique status. Puerto Ricans are American citizens who can vote in US elections if they reside on the mainland, but not if they live on the island, which has its own legislature.

Buxo holds the title of “shadow senator” because, although elected as senator, she cannot sit and vote in the US Senate due to Puerto Rico’s non-state status.

Pennsylvania’s Latino population is slightly over 8 percent, and their votes can swing results in a state where Trump and Vice President Harris are nearly tied.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a Latino, responded on X, saying, “Puerto Rico isn’t garbage; it’s home to fellow American citizens who have made tremendous contributions to our country.” He added, “Those weren’t Trump’s words,” referring to Hinchcliffe’s remarks, which he labeled as those of an “insult comedian.”

According to Trump’s campaign, Hinchcliffe’s speech had been vetted, and the insults aimed at Puerto Ricans were not part of the approved script. Campaign sources noted that Hinchcliffe had deviated from the text, which had originally included a vulgar insult against Harris that was omitted.

Harris dismissed the insult to Puerto Ricans as “nonsense” and welcomed the support of entertainers Jennifer “J.Lo” Lopez and Bad Bunny.

Hinchcliffe also made derogatory comments about African Americans, Palestinians, and Jewish people.

While Trump has previously made disparaging remarks about various communities, including Haitians, he has toned down such comments in the final days of the campaign. During his Sunday rally, he aimed for inclusivity, claiming he was building “the biggest, broadest coalition in the history of the country.” He said, “We bleed the same blood. We share the same hope. We are one people, one family, and one glorious nation under God.” However, this outreach effort was undermined by Hinchcliffe and other speakers’ vulgar, sexist, and racist remarks about Harris.