Podcast host and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe was one of the openers for former President Donald Trump at his highly anticipated Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday, and referred to Puerto Rico at one point as “a floating island of garbage”—a joke that drew immediate criticism from Democrats.
Tony Hinchcliffe speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump during ... [+]
Hinchcliffe—a roast comic who hosts a live podcast “Kill Tony”—opened Sunday’s rally as the first of many speakers before Trump, and said: “There’s a lot going on. 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.”
The remark was met with uncertainty by the crowd, leading Hinchcliffe to laugh and say, “okay, we’re getting there, again, normally I don’t follow the national anthem.”
The comment drew almost immediate criticism online, with Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., saying on X, formerly known as Twitter: “As a Puerto Rican, I am tempted to call Hinchcliffe racist garbage but doing so would be an insult to garbage.”
At another point in the speech, Hinchcliffe said Latino people “love making babies” before telling a raunchy joke, leading Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign to call it a “vile racist tirade against Latinos.”
Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, responded to the clip of Hinchcliffe’s joke and called Hinchcliffe a “jackwad.”
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
Hinchcliffe responded to the criticism on social media, saying, “these people have no sense of humor,” and adding: “I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set. I’m a comedian.”
Who else speaks at the rally. It’s been reported by multiple outlets that billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk will be in attendance, as will Trump’s running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance, former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, House Speaker Mike Johsnon and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani also spoke.
With just nine days until the election, Trump took his campaign to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday. CNN reported the rally is also expected to be one of Trump’s biggest fundraisers to date, and Trump has long wanted to hold a rally at the historic venue. Though New York state and the city are historically Democratic strongholds, the former president—a New York native—has previously said he thinks he might win New York for the first time since Ronald Reagen in 1984, as polls show him trailing Harris by a significant margin. While Trump campaigns in New York, Harris is campaigning in Philadelphia and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is in Henderson, Nevada, near Las Vegas.
Both parties view Latino voters as a crucial group this year, as several polls show Trump is on track to win a larger share of Latino people than he did in the 2016 or 2020 races—particularly men, younger voters and voters without college degrees. Harris is still leading with the group by a 56%-37% margin, according to an early October poll, compared to President Joe Biden’s 65%-32% edge in 2020 exit polls.