Democratic Strategist David Axelrod warned that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico at rally for former president Donald Trump in New York could prove costly for the Republican candidate.

Talk with Axelrod on CNNpolitical commentator Van Jones wondered if Trump seemed worried about his prospects in Pennsylvania on Election Day. He noted that he felt an “energy” among Democrats in the state, particularly in response to the controversial joke. Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”

Puerto Ricans make up a significant voting bloc in Pennsylvania, widely considered one of the most crucial swing states for the election. Trump and his opponent, the vice president Kamala Harrishave stepped up their efforts in the state ahead of Election Day.

“(Trump) should be afraid in Pennsylvania because there’s an energy,” Jones said. “The Puerto Rican vote itself has been on fire,” he added, explaining that conversations with Puerto Rican political groups suggested the joke had mobilized “a big tidal wave of Puerto Rican votes” that could influence the result.

Axelrod, former advisor to the former president Barack Obamadescribed the incident as a potentially significant campaign error.

“This could become the most expensive joke in history,” Axelrod said.

Jones shared that he recently spoke with a woman from Pennsylvania’s only Puerto Rican Political Action Committee (PAC). She said that although they had previously struggled to gain political traction, “when that insulting comment attacked Puerto Rico, she said it was like wildfire.”

He also mentioned that the incident brought new urgency and support to organizing efforts in Pennsylvania, where about 472,000 Puerto Ricans live, according to U.S. Census data.

Harris’ campaign focused particularly on counties with large Puerto Rican populations. Democrats aim to sway undecided voters and win support from a community they view as crucial in this battleground state.

The day after the New York rally, Trump’s campaign responded to the backlash through senior advisor Danielle Alvarez, who said Hinchcliffe’s joke “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign “.

These remarks fueled support for Democratic efforts from prominent Puerto Rican public figures, including singers like Bad bunnyJennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony. Nicky Jam, a singer who supported Trump in September, reversed his positioncondemning the joke and expressing support for Puerto Rican voters.

In 2020, Democrats turned the state blue after unexpectedly losing it to Trump in 2016.