Tony Hinchcliffe Defends Puerto Rico Joke, Says He Loves To Vacation There

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe stood up for his comment made during Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden, where he referred to Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage." He explained that he enjoys taking vacations there.

His speech on Sunday has received criticism from Puerto Ricans and members of the Democratic Party, who have denounced his joke and other elements of the address, arguing that it included racist comments aimed at Black and Latino people. A 19-second clip of the Puerto Rico joke shared on X by user @Acyn had garnered 27.7 million views by Monday morning.

However, when Kamala Harris's campaign shared a video on X featuring vice presidential hopeful Tim Walz condemning the comment alongside Puerto Rican Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York, Hinchcliffe responded by claiming that the politicians lacked a sense of humor.

Hinchcliffe remarked on X, "It's shocking that a vice presidential candidate would devote time from his 'hectic schedule' to dissect a joke that was taken out of context to appear racist. These individuals clearly lack a sense of humor."

Newsweek reached out to Hinchcliffe through the email of his manager to request a statement.

Hinchcliffe claimed that his joke was misinterpreted and taken out of its original context. During his performance, he started a segment focused on Latino individuals by asking the crowd, "Where are my proud Latinos at tonight?" He then proceeded to share several jokes related to immigration and the Texas-Mexico border, stating, "You see what I’m talking about? It’s completely open; there are so many of them."

Hinchcliffe remarked, "There’s actually a giant island made of trash floating in the ocean at this very moment. I believe it’s referred to as Puerto Rico?" This comment led to whispers and a hush among the audience.

In an email to Newsweek, Danielle Alvarez, a senior advisor to Trump, stated, "This joke does not represent the opinions of President Trump or our campaign."

Hinchcliffe has faced past issues related to race. In 2021, he lost his agent after making a derogatory comment about a Chinese comedian during a performance and referring to audience members as "race traitors" for finding the comedian's jokes funny.

In response to Walz, Hinchliffe mentioned that he joked about everyone during his performance at Madison Square Garden.

"I absolutely adore Puerto Rico and enjoy taking vacations there," he expressed. "I poked fun at everyone...just check out the entire performance. I'm a comedian, Tim...maybe it's time for you to switch out your tampon."

The tampon comment refers to a common nickname used by Republicans for Walz—"Tampon Tim." This nickname comes from a legislation he approved as the governor of Minnesota that ensured menstrual products were accessible in school bathrooms.

Ocasio-Cortez responded sharply to Hinchcliffe's defense. She said, "It's wild that this guy is telling someone else to change tampons while he's busy losing his mind in his Depends after discovering that appearing at a Trump rally and spreading blatant racism among a crowd of bigots actually makes him one of them. You don’t truly 'love Puerto Rico.' You just enjoy piña coladas. There’s a clear distinction."

Democratic Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania highlighted that his state, which is expected to play a vital role in the election results, is home to a large number of Puerto Ricans. Fetterman expressed on X, "They are essential to our community, not a target for cheap jokes." He emphasized that despite Trump's ongoing mockery, Vice President Kamala Harris is dedicated to advocating for all individuals.

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Flynn Nicholls is a journalist for Newsweek, located in London, UK. He specializes in covering American politics and social issues. Initially... Read more