by Sharelle Burt

October 28, 2024

That’s not cool…

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Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made headlines when he made racist remarks about Latinos and blacks and called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” at Donald Trump’s rally in New York, NBC News reports.

The rally, held Oct. 27 at Madison Square Garden, brought together thousands of supporters who wanted to hear the Republican presidential candidate speak, with just under 10 days until Election Day. Hinchcliffe was one of dozens of celebrities scheduled to speak. However, his tone-deaf and racist remarks sparked considerable backlash. He attacked the island of Puerto Rico, which is a US territory, to test the public.

“There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you know this, but there is literally a floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean right now. Yeah, I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” he said, met with an awkward response.

“Okay, okay, we’re getting there. Again, I don’t normally follow the national anthem.

Before that, he had joked about the number of Latino babies being born, saying that this population loved to “make babies.” “There is no withdrawal possible. They don’t do that. They’re coming inside, just like they did in our country,” Hinchcliffe said.

Known for his comedic roasting abilities, Hinchcliffe turned his attention to black people, pointing out a black man in the crowd. The unidentified man had something on his head that the comedian called a “lampshade.” “Cool black guy with this thing on his head. What is a lampshade? Look at this guy. Wow,” he said.

“It’s just a joke. He’s a friend of mine. He had a Halloween party last night. We had a lot of fun. We carved watermelons together. It was awesome.

He wasn’t the only speaker to use his time at the podium to make racist and hurtful remarks about the Democratic Party and Vice President Kamala Harris. David Rem, Trump’s childhood friend, called Harris the “Antichrist,” while media host Tucker Carlson attacked Harris’ resume and miscategorized her racial identity.

“It’s going to be pretty hard for them. Let’s say Kamala Harris got 85 million votes because she’s so impressive. She is the first former prosecutor from California, of Samoan and Malaysian descent, low IQ, to be elected president,” he said.

Following Hinchcliffe’s comments, Harris received an outpouring of support from famous Puerto Ricans, including pop star Bad Bunny. Minutes later, he endorsed the candidate using a video of Harris calling out Trump for his response to Hurricane Maria in 2017.