A multitude of racist comments were made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at the Madison Square Garden Trump Rally on Oct. 27, causing backlash and even costing Trump a celebrity endorsement.
Hinchcliffe, an American comedian based in Los Angeles, was chosen to speak at the MSG rally where he spoke on the topic of immigration.
“And these Latinos, they love making babies too. Just know that. They do. They do. There’s no pulling out,” Hinchcliffe said. “They don’t do that, they come inside just like they did to our country.”
Hinchcliffe later continued with, “There’s a lot going on. Like, 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. Yeah, I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
Since his remarks, many Latinx, more specifically Puerto Rican celebrities, have stepped forward condemning him for the racist and stereotypical comments he made at the rally.
Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican ‘King of Latin Trap,’ posted an 8-minute-long love letter to Puerto Rico, highlighting its beauty with the caption “garbage” on Instagram, referencing Hinchcliffe’s comment.
The video ended with a statement in Spanish: “We have been fighting since day one of our existence, we are the definition of heart and resistance. Here we go, here we are, and for those who forget who we are, don’t worry, we proudly remind you.”
Bad Bunny also posted to his Instagram story, officially announcing his support for Kamala Harris.
Puerto Rican reggaeton singer Nicky Jam also pulled his endorsement of Trump after Hinchcliffe’s comments.
Luis Fonsi, the singer behind “Despacito,” posted to his Instagram story, “We are not OK with this constant hate. It’s been abundantly clear that these people have no respect for us, and yet they want our vote. I purposely wrote this in English ’cause yes, we’re American too.”
Comedian Joe Rogan, who uploaded a sit-down with Trump on his podcast just two days before and Hinchcliffe’s first step into the comedy world, stated that he advised Hinchcliffe not to make the joke.
Trump claimed he had no idea who Hinchcliffe was or what he was going to say, according to an interview with Fox News.
However, “This offensive set was no gaffe. His remarks were scripted and appeared on a teleprompter,” according to The New York Times.
Considering this, it could be concluded that even if Trump himself did not know what Hinchcliffe was going to say, someone on the team had approved it.
Hinchcliffe did not issue an apology. Rather, he went further in defending his actions when Tim Walz, Harris’ Democratic vice-presidential candidate, responded to it.
“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,” Hinchcliffe wrote on social media site X. “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.”
