ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Former President Donald Trump feared the unrest could undermine the gains he has made at a Madison Square Garden rally Tuesday while campaigning in the majority-Latino city. , tried to quell anger over comedians making derogatory jokes about Latinos and Puerto Ricans. with Latino voters.
During his 75-minute speech, President Trump did not mention the comedian’s remarks in New York City, citing that polls show the comedian is doing well among Latino voters, but also in Puerto Rico. expressed solidarity with the
“I am committed to creating the best possible future for Puerto Ricans and Hispanic Americans.”
Later in his appearance, President Trump called on Puerto Rico’s Republican shadow senator to the podium, days after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe likened Puerto Rico to a “floating island of trash” in a series of incidents. praised President Trump and assured him of his commitment to U.S. territory. jokes at Trump’s event on Sunday.
Zoraida Bucso, one of Puerto Rico’s unvoted shadow senators and a Republican who advocates statehood, said, “Puerto Ricans trust you, and we have high hopes for you.” spoke. “We need this man back in the White House. We need this man to be our commander in chief. He’s going to make us feel safe. And he’s going to protect us.” He will give it to you.”
Before Trump arrived on stage, some speakers took pains to celebrate Puerto Rico.
Former Allentown mayoral candidate Tim Ramos introduced himself to the audience as a “Puerto Rican” who wanted to express his “love for the island and the people of Puerto Rico.”
“We have a proud tradition, a tradition that has seen our soldiers fight in every war this country has ever fought,” he said. “We are a beautiful people from a beautiful island.”
Busho also spoke before Trump’s arrival, describing Puerto Rico as a “beautiful island” with a “deep, profound love for our country.”
“God bless you, it’s home,” she added. “That’s Puerto Rico.”
Another speaker, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, spoke in both Spanish and English. Mr. Rubio had previously criticized Mr. Hinchcliffe’s comments on “X,” but did not address the episode Tuesday.
The pro-Puerto Rican message comes after two days of growing anger over Hinchcliffe’s attendance at Sunday’s Trump rally at Manhattan’s famous arena.
In a close race between President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the comments scorned some voters who could decide a close race. Census estimates put the Puerto Rican population in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, at nearly 500,000. People of Puerto Rican descent make up the largest share of Latino voters in Pennsylvania.
Matt Turk, the Democratic mayor of Allentown, said in an interview that his constituents are “outraged.”
“People will turn that anger into votes, and people will respond,” he said. “We don’t get angry, we take revenge.”
Condemnation began pouring in even before the Madison Square Garden rally was over, with elected officials of both parties, pop culture figures, celebrities and ordinary voters pushing back against the remarks. Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny supported Harris, releasing a video paying tribute to the island with the tongue-in-cheek caption, “Trash.”
Hinchcliffe’s comments came at a particularly inopportune time for the Trump campaign. Recent polls, including Reuters/Ipsos and NBC News/CNBC/Telemundo, show that Joe Biden and other Democratic candidates have the advantage among Hispanic men that they enjoyed in 2020 and other recent elections. It has been shown that President Trump has wiped out the
Democratic Rep. Susan Wilde, who represents the Allentown area, told reporters Tuesday that her district has “70,000 Puerto Ricans, as well as many non-Puerto Rican Hispanics and Latinos. “Their anger is clear.”
“We hear more about this than almost any other issue during the campaign,” she said.
With the fallout in mind, the Trump campaign organized a rally at an Allentown hockey rink to send a positive message about the island.
However, President Trump has yet to personally condemn the insult. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or his campaign,” his campaign said in a statement.
Before appearing in Allentown, President Trump told ABC News that the event at Madison Square Garden was a “love fest.” He said he did not know Mr Hinchcliffe and had not seen his comments.
Mr. Trump suffered little lasting political damage when he or one of his allies made derogatory or inflammatory remarks. They usually focus on what is being said before moving on to the next provocation, but this does not last long.
Democrats argue that the vilification of Puerto Rico is different even if President Trump himself did not say it. The comment came from an invited speaker who stood in front of a podium emblazoned with the Trump-Vance campaign logo.
“This is a very vulgar comment to make at a rally sponsored by a president’s campaign where he should be held accountable,” Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who is running for re-election in Pennsylvania, told reporters on Tuesday. At a campaign stop in Allentown.
Protesters gathered outside the venue hours before Trump spoke. One demonstrator, Enid Santiago, 46, told NBC News that the comments galvanized uninterested voters who had planned to sit out the race.
“People who were just sitting there, tired of politics, are now angry,” said Santiago, who was born in Puerto Rico and now lives in Allentown.
Tyree Pagan, 41, also a Puerto Rican-born Allentown resident, stood outside the arena holding a Harris campaign sign. For her, the comedian’s disdain for Puerto Rico reminded her of President Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island during his first year in office. President Trump threw rolls of paper towels to residents of the affected islands during a post-storm visit.
“We suffered a lot from Hurricane Maria,” Pagan said. “He was our president and all he did was throw a paper towel at us. We are human beings with dignity.”
“He needs to get to know us personally,” she said.
