The GOP is Making Trump's Slur Against Puerto Rico Even Worse

In the days after Donald Trump’s infamous Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden where a comedian called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” Republicans demanded people “get over” their feelings, claiming that it was just a “joke.” Trump walked around claiming he knew nothing about the comedian, as if he didn't know what was going on at his rallies-- more bullshit from habitual liar.

As a reminder, here’s what MAGA comedian Tony Hinchcliffe said to warm up the crowd of Trump faithful:  “There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you know this but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”   Then he kept going:  “And these Latinos, they love making babies too,” Hinchcliffe said. “Just know that. They do. They do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside. Just like they did to our country.”   The “roast” comedian went on to make racist jokes about Black people, Jews, and Palestinians.

A couple of days later, President Joe Biden said that what Hinchcliffe said was garbage, but MAGA pretended he said all Trump supporters were garbage. Because they are the weirdest people in the world, they decided to walk around wearing trash bags and calling each other trash. They were still doing it the last weekend.  Ironically, Trump and the GOP's lame efforts were only calling further attention to Trump's racism.

Nilsa Vega and Neidel Pacheco of Hellertown, a borough south of Bethlehem, both said they had never voted before, but Hinchcliffe’s remarks were the reason they planned to vote for Harris on Tuesday, reported HuffPost. Pacheco saw Trump’s decision to pose in a garbage truck at a campaign stop in Wisconsin the following day as an additional insult. ‘If he didn’t have nothing to do with it, what’s he doing in the garbage truck?’ Pacheco asked.

By wearing trash bags and talking about garbage and riding around in garbage trucks, these Pennsylvania Latinos think Republicans are doubling down on the insult. And even if Latino voters don’t make that connection, Republicans who continue to talk about garbage are keeping the original story alive.  The fallout is palpable. Here is a report from CNN about Las Vegas Latinos in swing state Nevada, and even Fox News is covering Latino anger in Pennsylvania. 

But who needs anecdotal evidence when we have hard data? A blockbuster Univision/YouGov poll of Pennsylvania Latinos shows just how deeply the garbage scandal damaged the Republican campaign. Among Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania—a group particularly affected by the remarks made at the rally—71% reported that, even if intended as a joke, these comments suggest that there is racism within the Trump campaign, according to Univision.

Furthermore, 62% of respondents said they considered Trump disrespectful toward Latinos, and half said they would be more likely to vote for Harris because of the comments.  “​​While respect for the Latino community remains a priority, Pennsylvania Latino voters also indicated interest in candidates’ economic agendas,” Univision reported. “However, given a hypothetical choice between a candidate who prioritizes respect for the Latino community and another who emphasizes economic growth without explicitly condemning racism, a majority still leaned toward the candidate who demonstrated respect. This finding suggests that, for many Latino voters, cultural respect is a critical value that influences their political choices alongside economic concerns.”