Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico — a U.S. territory — a “floating island of garbage” in his routine for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden. The humor in the denigration was lost on many, including Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz — and even the far-right rally crowd largely groaned at the slam.
These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his “busy schedule” to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set. I’m a… https://t.co/VFxHRcdv5k
— Tony Hinchcliffe (@TonyHinchcliffe) October 27, 2024
In a conversation with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Walz said “When you have some [expletive] calling Puerto Rico ‘floating garbage,’ know that that’s what they think about you. It’s what they think about anyone who makes less money than them… I want every Puerto Rican in Philadelphia and Reading and across the country to see this clip.”
Walz’s wish seems likely after the TikToker below and others reported that more than just anxious Democrats want this latest insult to get around: “That joke dropped, and Bad Bunny hit send.” The musician and global icon Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican superstar, has nearly 50 million followers on social media.
What Stella said…that comedian had jokes on everyone but his fellow whites pic.twitter.com/7nn0saM9Nm
— Candidly Tiff (@tify330) October 28, 2024
After the joke landed with a thud, the Trump campaign distanced itself from the characterization of Puerto Rico as garbage. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said in a statement.
But it is a strange denial, because Trump himself — just this week — began calling all of the United States, not just Puerto Rico, a “garbage can.”
“We’re a dumping ground,” Trump said at a rally in Arizona last Thursday. “We’re like a… we’re like a garbage can for the world. That’s what, that’s what’s happened to us. We’re like a garbage can.”
Trump had said the same thing in Las Vegas and repeated the charge with the same language in an appearance in Texas. In the video below, Trump expresses pride in his ingenuity for coining the simile: “I don’t know, I said, it just came out: garbage can.”