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Puerto Ricans, including Grammy-winning artists Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin, are widely condemning Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump following his closing campaign rally in New York at Madison Square Garden.
However, it wasn’t the former president who made the controversial comments about Puerto Rico at the rally; that distinction belongs to a comedian known as Kill Tony. The comedian, Tony Hinchcliffe, faced immediate backlash not just for a series of jokes that leaned on racist stereotypes, but for his most notable remark referring to the Caribbean island as a “floating island of garbage.”
Here’s how Trump and his team responded to the backlash, along with more about his relationship with the U.S. territory.
What Has Trump Said About Kill Tony’s Joke?
Hinchcliffe managed to anger not just the opposing party but some Republican politicians as well, prompting Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar to clarify that the joke does not “reflect GOP values.” With the ongoing fallout in a tight race, and given that the Republican candidate has been trying to court Latino voters, the campaign quickly distanced itself from the joke.
New York, New York – October 27: Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a rally for former president Donald Trump on Oct. 27 at Madison Square Garden in New York.(Photo by Peter W. Stevenson /The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Senior adviser Danielle Alvarez stated, “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
What Is Trump’s Relationship with Puerto Rico?
Trump has a complicated relationship with Puerto Rico, which was highlighted in a recent social media post by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny. To his nearly 46 million followers on Instagram, he shared multiple clips of Harris discussing Trump’s inaction after Hurricane Maria in 2017: “I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and competent leader.”
“He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes, and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.”
US President Donald Trump takes part in a food and suplly distribution at the Cavalry Chapel in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico on October 3, 2017.Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria thrashed through the US territory, much of the islands remains short of food and without access to power or drinking water. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Thousands of people in Puerto Rico lost their lives as a result of Hurricane Maria, which followed Hurricane Irma, causing widespread power outages across the island. Trump’s support was largely linked to a perceived PR stunt in which he threw paper towels into a crowd of hurricane survivors, yet he still sought praise for his handling of Hurricane Maria, calling it “an incredible, unsung success” in 2019.
Can Puerto Ricans Vote for President?
Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. As such, residents cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections due to the provisions set forth in the Electoral College. However, Puerto Ricans can vote for president if they are registered in any of the U.S. states by absentee ballot or by traveling to their state to vote.
Although voters in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories (like the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa) can’t participate in the November election, both the Democratic and Republican Parties allow them to select delegates to represent them at the nominating conventions.
