Donald Trump rally in New York has racist joke about Puerto Rico

The Republican campaign’s attempt to produce a glorious and triumphant show at Madison Square Garden, in New York, this Sunday (27) failed. Held to support former President Donald Trump’s candidacy in the final stretch of the race for the White House, the far-right event was marked by racist jokes and the promise of the death penalty for immigrants.

Flooding the territory with deeply Democratic roots, the “red tide” witnessed a festival of racist and xenophobic barbarities, which exceeded the limits already normalized by the Republican fans.

The speech by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, one of the first to perform at Trump’s concert, was supposed to be just one of the acts to warm up the audience before the main attraction. However, his speech full of racist or tasteless jokes quickly made headlines.

Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico, a US territory, a floating trash island, said he awaits immigrants with open arms while gesturing “go away”, and that Latinos “like making babies”, adding a vulgar joke afterwards.

Puerto Rico is one of the largest Latino populations in the United States and, as an American territory, has the right to vote.

Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin posted an excerpt of the comments on his Instagram and wrote, in Spanish: “That’s what they think of us.” Other artists from the Caribbean country also spoke out. Bad Bunny, one of the biggest artists today, endorsed Kamala Harris, while Luis Fonsi, from “Despacito”, called the speech a lack of respect.

The racist jokes against Puerto Rico were immediately criticized by Kamala Harris’ campaign, but also by Angel Cintron, head of the Republican Party on the island, and by Republican congresswoman and Trump ally Maria Elvira Salazar.

“Disgusted by @TonyHinchcliffe’s racist comment calling Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of trash,’” said Salazar, who was attending the event.

Danielle Alvarez, a senior member of Trump’s campaign, told Reuters that the joke about Puerto Rico “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

The space, with capacity for 20 thousand people, was almost full. When Trump took the stage, it was after 7pm local time (8pm in Brasília), and while he was speaking, several people left.

In his speech, however, the candidate repeated the main points of his campaign, attacking immigrants and associating them with crime. Trump’s behavior has long been criticized for empowering white supremacists with dehumanizing and racist rhetoric.

Amidst much applause, the billionaire promised to expel undocumented immigrants and establish the “death penalty” for those who murder Americans. “The United States is now an occupied country, but soon it will no longer be,” he said.

Kamala took advantage of the attacks to try to win over the Puerto Rican community in swing states, where the election is expected to be decided. “Puerto Ricans deserve a president who sees and invests in their strength,” the vice president said in a video posted on social media alongside Hinchcliffe’s comments.

The vice president planned a Sunday full of events in Pennsylvania’s most populous city, including stops at an Afro-descendant church, a barbershop, and a Puerto Rican restaurant.

“We must rise up the day after the election without regretting anything,” Kamala said at a rally in Philadelphia. This was the vice president’s 14th trip to Pennsylvania since, in July, she assumed the Democratic candidacy after President Joe Biden’s surprise withdrawal.