MAGA comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, whose offensive jokes at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally sparked outrage on both sides of the political spectrum, reportedly practiced his controversial material at a local comedy club the night before.
Hinchcliffe first tried his line calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” at the Manhattan comedy club The Stand on Saturday night, where it was poorly received, according to NBC News, which happened to have a producer from news in the public.
The joke elicited no laughs — only a handful of “awkward giggles,” the news station reported.
But Hinchcliffe, a Texas-based comedian who hosts the Kill Tony podcast, delivered the same joke at the Republican candidate’s capacity rally the following night, after claiming his routine would be better received by Trump supporters at his surprise stand.
“There’s a lot going on. There’s literally a floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” he said from the stage at the Garden on Sunday night.
The insult to the U.S. territory drew almost immediate backlash from Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz, who was performing during a Twitch livestream with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
“You have assholes calling Puerto Rico ‘floating trash,’ just know that’s what they think of you. That’s what they think of anyone who makes less money than them,” he said, calling on Puerto Ricans to take note of this attack on them.
The objections only increased from there, with both Democrats and Republicans blasting the nasty remarks.
“It’s not a joke. It’s completely classless and in bad taste,” said Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Florida).
“Puerto Rico is the jewel of the Caribbean and home to many of the most patriotic Americans I know,” he said on X. “@TonyHinchcliffe is clearly not funny and certainly does not reflect my values or those of the Republican Party.
“Comedian @TonyHinchcliffe’s remarks are despicable, misguided and revolting,” tweeted Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, the Republican resident commissioner of Puerto Rico. “What he said wasn’t funny; just as his comments were rejected by the public, they should be rejected by everyone! There can be no room for such vile and racist expressions. They do not represent the values of the GOP.
The Trump campaign has since tried to distance itself from Hinchcliffe, who claimed his joke was taken out of context to make it seem racist by people without a “sense of humor.”
“These jokes do not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” Danielle Alvarez, a senior advisor to the Trump campaign, said in a statement.
This crude stand-up routine led several Puerto Rican celebrities to publicly vouch for Harris on social media.
Hours before Hinchcliffe’s stand-up, Harris unveiled several policy proposals aimed at “building a better future for Puerto Rico.”
Musician and reggaeton megastar Bad Bunny reposted a video of Harris discussing the proposals and his criticism of Trump’s alleged mishandling of Hurricane Maria recovery efforts for the island territory to his 45 million Instagram followers.
While Puerto Rican residents cannot vote in presidential elections, Puerto Ricans living in mainland America – including swing states like Pennsylvania – constitute a coveted electorate.
