With 9 days till Election Day, Puerto Rico has been thrust into the highlight by each campaigns. Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled a plan to help the island — resulting in an endorsement from Dangerous Bunny — whereas Puerto Rico was known as “a floating island of rubbish” by comic Tony Hinchcliffe, who spoke at a rally for former President Donald Trump in New York Metropolis.
In an effort to court docket Puerto Rican voters within the U.S. mainland, Harris on Sunday posted a video on her social media platforms pledging to create a Puerto Rican process drive to create jobs, lower purple tape to make sure catastrophe restoration funds are used rapidly and effectively and work with leaders throughout the island to make sure Puerto Ricans have entry to dependable and inexpensive electrical energy.
Rapper and singer Dangerous Bunny, a international famous person from Puerto Rico, shared the vice chairman’s video on his Instagram account along with his 45 million followers and later posted a clipped portion of the video by which Harris slammed Trump for his response to Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island in 2017.
“I’ll always remember what Donald Trump did and what he didn’t do when Puerto Rico wanted a caring and a reliable chief,” Harris stated within the video. “He deserted the island, tried to dam assist after back-to-back devastating hurricanes, and provided nothing greater than paper towels and insults.”
In 2017, Trump visited the island to survey harm after Hurricane Maria struck as a serious Class 4 storm. Whereas visiting with survivors, the previous president at one level threw paper towels into the group when distributing provides, a transfer that was criticized as callous amid widespread frustration over the federal response to the hurricane that left a lot of the island with out energy and meals.
A supply near Dangerous Bunny confirmed to CBS Information that the Instagram submit represents an endorsement of the vice chairman, breaking from Dangerous Bunny’s longstanding custom to not weigh in on nationwide politics. It is a coveted endorsement with weight that each political events have lengthy hoped to realize to strengthen inroads with Latino voters, given Dangerous Bunny’s international reputation.
Moments earlier than Dangerous Bunny’s endorsement, comic Tony Hinchcliffe focused Puerto Rico throughout a set of disparaging jokes whereas talking at a Trump rally in Madison Sq. Backyard.
“I do not know when you guys know this, however there’s actually a floating island of rubbish in the course of the ocean proper now,” Hinchcliffe stated. “I believe it is referred to as Puerto Rico.”
Trump senior advisor Danielle Alvarez advised CBS Information, “this joke doesn’t mirror the views of President Trump or the marketing campaign” including that the jokes weren’t reviewed or pre-approved.
Hinchcliffe’s remarks, which additionally included offensive jokes about Black individuals and Latinos, have been met with swift backlash, with a number of celebrities popping out in protection of Puerto Rico, Latinos within the U.S. and voicing their assist for Harris’ plan for the island. Amongst those that weighed in have been Jennifer Lopez, Ariana DeBose and Ricky Martin. Martin, with over 18 million followers, took to Instagram and posted, “Puerto Rico, that is what they consider us, vote for Kamala Harris.”
A number of Democratic and Republican politicians have been additionally amongst these to denounce Hinchcliffe’s swing at Puerto Ricans, who make up an important voting group.
Harris’ operating mate Gov. Tim Walz stated throughout a livestream with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, “There are lots of of 1000’s of Puerto Ricans throughout battleground states. They should vote.”
Ocasio-Cortez agreed with Walz and directed her feedback towards Puerto Ricans within the essential battleground state of Pennsylvania. “If you happen to’re in Studying, when you’re in Philly, have a look at that trash,” Ocasio-Cortez stated, referring to Hinchcliffe’s joke. “What’s trash is individuals really simply pondering of different human beings that manner.”
Pennsylvania is residence to over 579,000 eligible Latino voters with roughly 50% residing inside the “222 Hall” — a stretch of small cities west and north of Philadelphia together with Studying, Allentown and Bethlehem.
With Trump successful the Keystone State in 2016 by 44,000 votes and Biden taking it by 81,000 in 2020, slim margins are once more anticipated to find out the end result of the presidential election.
Harris on Sunday spoke on to Latino voters whereas visiting a neighborhood Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia. “Once I was within the Senate, realizing Puerto Rico would not have a senator, I all the time felt a necessity and an obligation to do what I may as a senator to ensure that Puerto Rico’s wants have been met,” Harris stated.
Harris marketing campaign spokesperson Kevin Muñoz stated Sunday in a press release, “A reminder: Pennsylvania is residence to greater than 1 million Latinos who’re primarily of Puerto Rican backgrounds, and right now, Vice President Harris campaigned within the coronary heart of Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican neighborhood speaking not nearly her imaginative and prescient for the island, however how she’s going to decrease prices and create alternative of their communities on the mainland.”
On Tuesday, Trump is anticipated to marketing campaign in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the place Latinos make up 54% of the inhabitants, the bulk being of Puerto Rican descent.
Republican Florida Senator Rick Scott, an ally of Trump’s, additionally denounced Hinchcliffe’s feedback.
“This joke bombed for a motive. It is not humorous and it isn’t true,” Scott stated. “Puerto Ricans are superb individuals and superb People! I have been to the island many instances. It is a fantastic place. Everybody ought to go to! I’ll all the time do no matter I can to assist any Puerto Rican in Florida or on the island.”
Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar referred to as the feedback “racist.”
The island’s Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón, a Republican operating for governor of the island, stated the feedback have been “despicable, inappropriate and disgusting.”
and
contributed to this report.
