Comedian calls Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” at Trump rally

“A lot of things are happening, I don’t know if they knew it, but right now there is literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean. Yeah, I think it’s called Puerto Rico”he declared to the crowd.

According to CNN, the vice president Kamala Harris quickly responded to the incident by posting a video of the moment on Xformerly Twitter. That same day, Harris visited a Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia, where she reaffirmed her commitment to the island and spoke about her policies focused on supporting the Puerto Rican community.

Republican Senator Rick Scott, who represents Florida, also reacted to the comedian’s comment, the outlet notes. Scott qualified Hinchcliffe “joke” as offensive and inaccurate highlighting that Puerto Ricans are American citizens who contribute significantly to the country.

The controversy did not stop there. The governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz expressed his rejection and called Hinchcliffe an “imbecile” in a live broadcast with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is of Puerto Rican descent. Both harshly criticized Trump for allowing such comments at his event.

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Hinchcliffe’s response

Hinchcliffe, in his defense, stated in his words were taken out of context “to make him appear racist.”

Hinchcliffe concluded his message: “I love Puerto Rico and visit the island on vacation. I laugh at everyone… check the entire program. I’m a comedian, Tim… maybe you should change your tampon.”.