How a comedian’s ‘garbage’ remark could cost Donald Trump key Latino votes

A stand-up comedian’s racist remark on Puerto Ricans at a rally to garner support for Donald Trump seems to have boomeranged politically for the Republican presidential candidate, days ahead of the November 5 polls. With surveys showing a nail-bitingly close presidential race, the major hiccup may jolt Trump in terms of Latino voters, especially in the swing state of Pennsylvania, home to nearly half a million Puerto Ricans.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s 11-minute act in Madison Square Garden last week featured a slew of racially offensive comments against Latinos, Jews and Black people. However, his remark calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” drew the most attention and fury.
“There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” Hinchcliffe said, sparking outrage among Democrats and Republicans as well.
The joke bombed, with the Trump campaign scurrying to control the damage among Latino voters. The former President has claimed he did not know Hinchcliffe even though he has faced calls to apologise from the Archbishop of Puerto Rico.

Tony Hinchcliffe at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden (AP)

Surveys have showed that Trump is running neck-and-neck with Democrat Kamala Harris in battleground states and the controversy might just tilt the scales. Harris has already received a boost after one of the world’s top Latin celebrities, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, endorsed her for president.
Several Puerto Rican music icons, including Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin, have also condemned Hinchcliffe’s remarks. “This is what they think of us… Vote for Kamala Harris,” Martin wrote to his 18 million followers on Instagram.
Puerto Rico is a US island in the Caribbean. While residents of Puerto Rico cannot vote in the presidential election, Puerto Ricans living on the US mainland could shape the race in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona.
As per 2022 data, there are 5.9 million Puerto Ricans in the US, making up the second-largest population of Hispanic origin in America after Mexicans.
Past election results have shown that battleground states are often decided by narrow margins. Thus, any shift in support among Latino and Hispanic voters could be vital.
In the 2020 US elections, Biden narrowly won by 1.2 points in Pennsylvania, where Puerto Ricans account for 3.7% of the population. Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016. In Georgia and Arizona, the US President’s victory margin was just 0.2 and 0.3 points.
This indicates that if the poll battle goes down to the wire in the swing states, the racist remark on Latinos days ahead of the polls might have a bearing on Trump’s fortunes.
Not just in swing states, Puerto Rican votes will also be key in non-battleground states like Florida. Latinos comprise around 5.6% of Florida’s total population. Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York state also have a substantial Latino population.
However, this is not the first time that Trump has faced backlash from Puerto Ricans. The latest remarks are reminiscent of Trump’s “s***hole countries” jibe in 2018 when the then-president criticised immigration from El Salvador and Haiti.
Some social media users also recalled his response to Hurricane Maria, when he threw paper towels to the survivors in Puerto Rico and called the island “dirty”.
Since the start of his campaign, Trump has focused on weaning away Hispanic voters from the Democrats. However, a comedian’s 11-minute act may just alienate the community.