Residents say a speaker calling Puerto Rico garbage before a packed Donald Trump rally in New York was the latest humiliation for an island territory that has long suffered from mistreatment.

Puerto Ricans cannot vote in general elections despite being U.S. citizens, but they can exert a powerful influence with relatives on the mainland. Phones across the island of 3.2 million people were ringing minutes after the speaker derided the U.S. territory Sunday night, and they still buzzed Monday.

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is competing with Trump to win over Puerto Rican communities in Pennsylvania and other swing states. Shortly after stand-up comic Tony Hinchcliffe said that, “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. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny announced he was backing Harris.

After Sunday’s rally, a senior adviser for the Trump campain, Danielle Alvarez, said in a statement that Hinchcliffe’s joke did “not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

    • JamesTBagg@lemmy.world
      15·
      13 days ago

      After 8 years of Trump showing us exactly the kind of garbage person he is, the crimes he commits, the people he supports, how unpatriotic he is, the ideals and policies he endorses… if you’re still in his camp mayhaps you are trash.

    • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
      151·
      13 days ago

      The double standard is eye watering.

      Trump painted ALL Democrats as literal demons for years. Not figuratively, like literally, you could fill encyclopedias with his rhetoric. And it barely moves the needle.

      But one gaff from Biden is damaging?

      Ugh. You are probably not wrong, unfortunately.

      • Angrywaffle2@lemmy.world
        17·
        13 days ago

        Remember deplorables? All political positions aside you could argue this is worse than that. Deplorables has an intellectual level to it. It in an odd way almost sounds like a compliment.

        “She used a big word on us”

        This is just a mindless insult said by the current president against millions of people that would vote for more of him through Harris. It’s a terrible look.

        • Randomguy@lemm.ee
          2·
          13 days ago

          I wish I was this deluded. Life must be so simple when it can whatever you want it to be.

    • Evilcoleslaw@lemmy.world
      11·
      13 days ago

      Yeah I’m sure it pushed all the Trump supporters who were about to vote for Harris into rethinking their positions…