By james art Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe sparked bipartisan backlash by cracking a joke about Puerto Rico while speaking at a Trump rally held Sunday in Madison Square Garden.
“I don’t know if you know this, but right now there is literally a floating island of trash in the … ocean,” Hinchcliffe said. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
The Trump campaign quickly distanced itself from the joke. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” Trump campaign senior adviser Daniel Alvarez said in a statement, according to reports.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York addressed Hinchcliffe’s joke during a Twitch stream with VP Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz.
“Who is this Jackwood?” Walz asked in response to the clip.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., left, and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. (Getty Images)
Ocasio-Cortez, who noted that her family is from Puerto Rico and that she is Puerto Rican, took issue with the comedian’s joke.
“This is what they think of you. That’s what they think of anyone who makes less money than them. This is what they think about the people who serve them food in a restaurant. That’s what they think of people who fold their clothes in a store,” the New York Democrat claimed.
“The lawmaker’s mother was born and raised in Puerto Rico,” according to her congressional website.
Hinchcliffe responded to Ocasio-Cortez and Waltz’s clip, saying in a post on X that he loves and vacations in Puerto Rico.
“These people have no sense of humor. Appalling that a VP candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist,” he wrote. “I love Puerto Rico and vacationing there. I mocked everyone… watch the whole set. I’m comedian Tim… maybe it’s time to change your tampon.’
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Gov. Tim Waltz and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez played a game of “Madden” on Twitch Sunday in an effort to appeal to young male voters. (Twitch)
But Ocasio-Cortez fired back at X by scolding Hinchcliffe and accusing him of encouraging neo-Nazis.
“You open yourself up to Trump by calling Puerto Rico a floating pile of garbage. Over 4,000 Puerto Ricans died under his leadership. This is not the comedy store. You use your recruitment to support neo-nazis like MTG and take women’s rights back to the stone age. Your “sense of humor” doesn’t change that. she tweeted.
“And before people try to act like it’s some computer oversensitive crap, I was on the ‘Kill Tony’ show.” I’m from the Bronx. I don’t care for crude humor. But don’t pretend your support for Trump is a joke.
The MP accused the comedian of spreading “red meat racism”.
“I can’t stand this dude telling someone else to change tampons when he’s the only one spewing bricks in his Depend after finding out he’s starting a Trump rally and fueling red meat racism with a bunch of other bigots to a frothy crowd ironically makes you one of them,” she tweeted.
“You don’t ‘love Puerto Rico.’ You like drinking piña coladas, there’s a difference,” Ocasio-Cortez added in another tweet.
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Ocasio-Cortez turned to X to denounce Hinchcliffe. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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Democratic Congressman Richie Torres of New York also criticized the comedian.
“As a Puerto Rican, I’m tempted to call Tony Hinchcliffe racist trash, but that would be an insult to trash. When they vote in the voting booth, Latinos should never forget the racism that Donald Trump seems all too willing to platform,” the congressman tweeted.
Republicans also criticized the comedian.
Rep. Carlos Jimenez, R-Fla., tweeted: “This is no joke. This is completely classless and in poor taste. Puerto Rico is the crown jewel of the Caribbean and home to many of the most patriotic Americans I know. @TonyHinchcliffe is clearly not funny and definitely does not reflect my values or those of the Republican Party.”
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-New York, posted: “Proud to be Puerto Rican. My mother was born and raised in Puerto Rico. It’s a beautiful island with a rich culture and an integral part of the US .. The only thing that was ‘rubbish’ was a bad comedy.”