Florida Republicans on Sunday night blasted a comedian's "classless" Puerto Rico joke as "racist", prompted by his comments at former President Donald Trump's rally at Manhattan's Madison Square Garden.
The conservative backlash is directed at comedian Tony Hinchcliffe—who's branded himself as a comedian who will "never apologize" for a joke—for telling the 20,000 Trump rally attendees at New York's largest arena that Puerto Rico is a "floating island of garbage."
Sen. Rick Scott, a strong ally to Puerto Rico, and the Hispanic Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar and Carlos Gimenez were not pleased.
"Disgusted by @TonyHinchcliffe’s racist comment calling Puerto Rico a 'floating island of garbage.' This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values," said Rep. Salazar, who fled communist Cuba and was the first Florida delegation member to slam Hinchcliffe. She pointed out that Puerto Ricans have fought in U.S. wars with over 345 Purple Hearts awarded. "This bravery deserves respect. Educate yourself!"
Rep. Gimenez and Sen. Scott agreed, calling the non-joke "not funny" and "completely classless and in poor taste."
"@TonyHinchcliffe clearly isn’t funny & definitely doesn’t reflect my values or those of the Republican Party," Gimenez added.
"This joke bombed for a reason," said Scott. "Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans!"
Hinchcliffe, a rising comedic star with a podcast known for its dark humor, took the stage at the Trump rally Sunday night. He commented on how "wild" the state of the world has become, leading into the now-maligned joke, "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."
He paused, glancing around, before, "Yeah, I think it's called Puerto Rico."
It was met with some nervous laughter and "ohs", causing Hinchliffe to smile, "Okay, all right—we're getting there!"
This isn't the comedian's first run-in with controversy. In 2021, he was dropped by his representatives after he refused to apologize for calling an American-Chinese comedian a racial slur, and earlier this year faced some online backlash for allegedly "misogynistic" comments about Kim Kardashian.
On the Trump campaign's side, there are reports that the team had not pre-approved Hinchcliffe's remarks, which Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called "in poor taste" and said do "not reflect the views of President Trump."
This hasn't stopped Democrats from blaming Trump for the Hinchcliffe debacle. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried called the event a "wannabe Hitler rally", pointing to the former president's alleged "racist extremism," and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called it a "hate rally."
In response to the backlash, Hinchcliffe blasted Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, for calling him an "asshole" and "jackwad."
"These people have no sense of humor," Hinchcliffe posted Sunday night. "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."
The Trump-Puerto Rico relationship has been a touchy one, beginning in 2017 after Trump visited the hurricane-ravaged island and tossed paper towels into a crowd. The then-San Juan Mayor called his actions "terrible and abominable." In 2021, the former President came under fire again for allegedly obstructing an investigation looking into why officials withheld billions from Puerto Rico after the 2017 Hurricane Maria, an Inspector General report said.
Despite these points of rub, Trump has recently come out in support of Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state if that's what the island citizens decide. This is a huge step forward in U.S.-Puerto Rico relations, considering Congress has put forward three proposed bills in the past three years advocating for U.S. recognition of Puerto Rico as a state.
On Nov. 5, mainland Puerto Ricans will vote in a historic plebiscite on whether they want to be a state or an independent nation; this is the first time the option to remain a territory will be nixed from the ballot.
Other Madison Square Garden speakers included Hulk Hogan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Elon Musk, and Dr. Phil.
