Puerto Ricans are tired of being dumped on by Trump
On Sunday, Oct. 27, Donald J. Trump held a rally at Madison Square Garden as part of his presidential campaign. And while the former president normally does a great job of sticking his own foot in his mouth, this time around, the hate-speech spewed from the lips of others, including stand-up comic, Tony Hinchcliffe.
The cheshire-grinned, Ohio-native, walked onto the stage wearing a suit and tie, blowing kisses at the rally-goers.
“I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the ocean right now,” Hinchliffe said in a serious tone. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
Needless to say, a media storm followed.
The next day, Hinchcliffe took to X, formerly known as Twitter, in a weak attempt to vindicate himself, writing, “I love Puerto Rico and vacation there” which is akin to saying, “I can’t be racist, my friend is Black.”
Hinchcliffe added, “These people have no sense of humor” and suggested Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz change his tampon, presumably implying that Walz was on his period. I guess correcting one insult with another cancels them both out.
I am Puerto Rican and a die-hard fan of stand-up comedy. I often find myself hysterically laughing at “Kill Tony,” a show featuring a panel of comics judging other comics’ disparaging, insulting and self-deprecating routines. No holds are barred on the show, and some may find the comedy is not quite their proverbial cup of tea but, as they say, there’s a time and place for everything.
And a presidential rally, of an infamous bigot, just days away from one of the most important elections in American history, in one of the most liberal states in the country, is neither the time nor the place.
Walking into a comedy club, one anticipates there may be some edgy material afoot, or that they themselves may be the butt of the joke; it might even be part of the allure. But when the former president of the United States — who is currently running to regain that office, who ignorantly and dismissively tossed paper towels to the people of Puerto Rico amidst the most devastating hurricane to the Caribbean island — brings an insult comic to perform at his rally in his hometown, it’s difficult not to imagine the message was intentional.
More than 100 years ago, Puerto Ricans began migrating to the U.S., most notably, New York City. Their presence was so prominent and influential, it gave Spanish Harlem its name, also known as “El Barrio” or “the neighborhood.”
Salsa was invented on the streets of NYC.
Every summer since 1958, the largest celebration of Puerto Rican heritage in America marches right down Fifth Avenue, bringing more than a million people.
Coquito, the Puerto Rican version of eggnog, has made it on the cocktail lists of upscale bars in recent years, and Puerto Ricans even forged a new identity, where those born in the concrete jungle began to refer to themselves as Nuyoricans, a title I wear proudly.
Fat Joe, Jennifer Lopez, Angie Martinez, Neil deGrasse Tyson; all Puerto Ricans from NYC. Even those from the island — Rita Moreno, Benicio del Toro, Bad Bunny — have all helped shape the pop culture of not only the country, but the world at large.
And you better believe a lot of those Puerto Ricans I just mentioned had something to say about Hinchcliffe’s comments. It’s no surprise the Trump campaign is now distancing itself from the comic, who has since reposted a clip on his X page of Don Rickles at former president Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration. The post backfired, leaving some to comment on his page, “Who the hell is this guy?”
That Hinchcliffe thinks he has the same cache as the late, great Don Rickles is delusional and tone deaf. Also, it was a different time, and we have come a long way from mindlessly slinging racial slurs.
Perhaps Hinchcliffe should just lay low for a while, go somewhere warm and sip on a Piña Colada, as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggested in a social media post.
A drink, by the way, we invented.
The author is the editor of The Riverdale Press.
