The iconic hall "Madison Square Garden" in New York. Donald Trump's rally in the last days before the US presidential election. The list of speakers who have come out in support of the Republican candidate includes his wife Melania Trump and former "Fox News" Tucker Carlson. However, the most attention is gathered by another person - the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.
Hinchcliffe "joked" from the scene that the US territory of Puerto Rico is a "junk island". And this can seriously affect the elections. Why?
Distinguishing, but not quite
Donald Trump's campaign distanced itself from Hinchcliffe's comments after the rally. It was uncharacteristic behavior for the Republican campaign, which almost never apologizes, observers said. However, the defensive position in this situation is difficult, because it was from the Trump campaign that they chose who will appear on the stage in New York on Sunday, writes the "Washington Post". An even bigger problem is the fact that "jokes" of the comedian largely follow the direction of Trump's usual rhetoric.
At a rally in Wisconsin on Monday, Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance played down the concerns of many, saying he hadn't heard the comment but "maybe it's just a stupid racist joke, but maybe not is". Vance then added that there is no way the greatness of American civilization will be restored if we "get offended by every little thing”.
Misstep at a crucial moment for the campaign
After the rally, the backlash from the vulgar and racist comments made not only by Hinchcliffe, but also by other speakers at "Madison Square Garden", visibly affects the campaign, writes "Politico". The former president's Republican allies have had to publicly defend Puerto Rico and condemn the comments. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio wrote that "Puerto Rico is not trash, but home to fellow Americans who have contributed immensely to our country," but that the words were spoken by a comedian, not Trump himself. The Harris campaign released a new campaign ad on the rally's comments and held events with Latino groups in Philadelphia.
Celebrities with Puerto Rican roots - such as Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin - reacted strongly on social media and supported Harris. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also commented on the topic. According to him, if Trump really wanted to distinguish from "jokes" of Hinchcliffe, could have done so as soon as he took the stage at "Madison Square Garden". But that didn't happen.
Puerto Ricans - key voters?
According to official statistics, about two million American citizens were born in Puerto Rico. And they cannot easily be convinced that Hinchcliffe's words have nothing to do with Trump's position. In the decisive state of the battle for the White House, Pennsylvania, protests are already being organized against Trump's rally in Allentown, a city with a predominantly Latin American population. It is one of the places in Pennsylvania with the most Puerto Rican residents, and the Republican candidate's event should be held in the center of the Puerto Rican neighborhood. A clear sign of how worried local Puerto Ricans are is the fact that a local school that Trump was scheduled to visit on Tuesday canceled classes and sent students home.
The moment couldn't be worse for Trump. "Insulting people is not the smartest thing to do - even more so a large group of voters in a swing state. And then to go to their home and pray for their votes," he told Politico. Norberto Dominguez, a Democrat from Allentown. Local Democrats like Dominguez say the comments also remind Puerto Rican voters of Trump's previous similar words about the island -- such as when he called it "dirty" and tossing packages of kitchen paper to survivors of Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island and killed more than 2,000 people in 2017.
A large number of Puerto Ricans in the US live in New York and Florida, but they also have a large presence in other states. More than a quarter of a million Puerto Ricans live in the seven states that are considered to be decisive in the presidential election. In four of these states - Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - the number of residents born in Puerto Rico is greater than the difference in votes between Joe Biden and Trump in the 2020 election, recalls the "Washington Post". And in recent weeks, Kamala Harris has struggled to win the very votes she needs to win on November 5.