Puerto Ricans 'very mad' over 'island of garbage' comment at Trump rally are 'getting organised'

Puerto Ricans are voicing their anger after 'comedian' Tony Hinchcliffe was given a platform at Madison Square Garden at a Donald Trump rally and proceeded to dub their homes an 'island of garbage'

Puerto Ricans have expressed their anger after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made derogatory remarks about their homeland during a Donald Trump rally at the renowned Madison Square Garden, potentially denting the former president's hopes of securing Hispanic votes.

Attending the rally on Sunday, which saw an impressive turnout of 20,000 supporters flock to New York City, Hinchcliffe managed to provoke backlash as he offended people from various ethnicities, races, and backgrounds before warming up the stage for Trump.

"There is literally a floating pile of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it's called Puerto Rico," Hinchcliffe quipped, prompting laughter from the crowd. However, that laughter has sparked fury among Puerto Ricans across the States, who, as US-born citizens, demand respect.

Jackeline Sanchez, a chemical engineer residing in Puerto Rico, told the Mirror US: "If our people are good to serve in the military, die for this county, then why are we still considered not good enough to be treated with respect?

"At the moment I do feel safe in the US, despite this situation, but the current event, and the fact that Trump might become president again, does make me remember when he was president and I was living in the US at the time. It was a period of time where I did feel unsafe, because I felt that since the president was openly racist, it gave everyone the 'permission' to treat Latinos, and even us Puerto Ricans, which are US citizens, like we are less, like we don't belong.

"When I saw the expressions made at the rally by the comedian, I felt upset and hurt, but at the same time, I was not surprised... If, during Hurricane Maria, the worst time for the island, he threw paper towel rolls at people in need as if it was a joke, I can't ever expect him not to be disrespectful toward us, either directly or through people working for/with him."

A spokesperson for Trump has since denied that the former president and those involved in his presidential bid share Hinchcliffe's views. However, the denial has done little to alleviate public outrage, with several Hispanic celebrities endorsing Harris following the comedian's remarks.

Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, urged his 45 million Instagram followers to vote for Harris, branding Hinchcliffe as Trump's "racist comedian."

Johmar Sanchez, a 35-year-old Puerto Rican developer residing in North Carolina, was deeply offended by the cheers for Hinchcliffe's racist remarks at a rally. He said: "As a Puerto Rican living in NC, I felt attacked, very mad as well, knowing that PR is such a beautiful place with warm people."

He also expressed his frustration about Puerto Rico's political status, saying: "Also, thinking on what choice we have if we can't be our own country or at least be treated like any other state. Part of the problem is the people of the US don't even know that we are US citizens, that we pay taxes and that we have the same rights as any other person. So yes, I feel very mad about how this horrible line came from a public meeting, how the Republican party allows this to go out, and how they feel about Puerto Rico."

Political pundits suggest that Hinchcliffe's comments could drive Latino voters towards Harris, especially given that the US hosts 900,000 voting Puerto Ricans scattered across various states, Politico reports. The US Census Bureau's figures indicate that "more than 470,000 people of Puerto Rican descent live in Pennsylvania, 132,000 in North Carolina and 124,000 in Georgia," with significant numbers also found in Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Michigan, according to additional details from Politico.

Terrance Smith, 35, from Connecticut, shared with the Mirror his view on the potential political clout of his community. He said: "I think there is nothing scarier than Puerto Ricans beginning to harness power. I think that right now we're a bit emboldened by this. By the comments, by the quote-unquote jokes... You'd be surprised at how Puerto Ricans are getting organised to really target the upcoming election.

"You know, there's thousands of us across different states like Wisconsin, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma. That could be the tipping point in changing the course of some of these swing states. So angry Puerto Ricans are a great thing to have in this kind of election.

"We just have to look back to a couple of years ago where we ousted the Governor of Puerto Rico with mass protests and we really shut it down. We shut a lot of the infrastructure down in Puerto just to make it a point. To speak to how unacceptable his behaviour was and the abuse of power. And I think that right now we're at the beginning stages of organising another movement to ensure that our voices are heard and that we are represented accurately in the face of the American nation."

"And that we're not tolerating this type of rhetoric being used to classify us because as it stands right now, Puerto Rico is a convenient place to hide your money. It's a convenient place to avoid paying taxes, but it's also being the butt of the dog. So you can't really have it all."

Smith concluded, highlighting the community's reaction. He said: "Puerto Ricans are incensed and we're organising all of our efforts to ensure that, if this was a political strategy to really get us angry... Well, all it was was motivation to get us organised. We are well equipped to tap into our resources and our diaspora across several key states to ensure that the message gets across and that we vote in a way that reflects our pride and also our value as people."