Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe did not provide levity when he spoke at a rally for former President Donald Trump Sunday.
Instead, he drew criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike when he made racist jokes about Puerto Rico, The Hill reported.
Hinchcliffe, who goes by Kill Tony, spoke at the Madison Square Garden rally hours before Trump took the stage.
“There’s a lot going on. Like, I don’t know if you 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,” Hinchcliffe said.
Hinchcliffe then said Latinos “love making babies.”
“They do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside. Just like they did to our country,” he said.
‘Trump’s team was quick to distance itself from Hinchcliffe’s comments.
“This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” Danielle Alvarez, a Trump senior adviser, said in a statement.
She was not alone in her disdain for Hinchcliffe’s comments.
“I understand that his K*ll Tony podcast is wildly popular, but I thought he was unfunny and unfortunately offended many of our friends from Puerto Rico,” as David Urban, who has advised Trump on strategy in Pennsylvania, posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The campaign also told Mediaite: “The entire speech was not vetted.”
I understand that his K*ll Tony podcast is wildly popular, but I thought he was unfunny and unfortunately offended many of our friends from Puerto Rico. #TrumpLovesPR
—https://t.co/CV1qi5DvT9
David J. Urban
Trump ally Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said the joke was “not funny and it’s not true.”
Puerto Rico wasn’t the only target in Hinchcliffe’s comedy set, which also include jokes about Jews and Black men.
Ironically, Harris campaign aides pointed out that Hinchcliffe’s remarks were voiced as Harris was in Philadelphia speaking at a Puerto Rican restaurant.
While there, she spoke about her plans to assist Puerto Rico and strengten its electrical grid.
Then, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny shared a clip of what Harris has planned for Puerto Rico, CNN reported.
“I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader,” Harris said. “He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.”
Thousands died in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Then-President Trump drew backlash after he threw supplies, including paper towels, to Puerto Ricans while surveying the damage.
A representative for Bad Bunny said his repost of Harris’ video was “not an endorsement.”
“(Bad Bunny’s) political focus has always been on Puerto Rico,” per the representative, who added this was not an indication an endorsement would be forthcoming.
Many noted that hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans live in Pennsylvania, a battleground state this election cycle.
“Who wants to tell these guys there are ~ HALF A MILLION Puerto Ricans living in Battleground PA, whose votes are up for grabs?” posted Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump White House official turned outspoken critic.
Hinchcliffe responded to the backlash, writing on X, “These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set. I’m a comedian Tim…might be time to change your tampon.”
