Rex Huppke, USA TODAY
Updated Mon, October 28, 2024
At Donald Trump’s racist, hate-filled Madison Square Garden rally this weekend, the Republican Party got a look at rock bottom, and American voters got a glimpse of the babbling hell that awaits them if Trump wins reelection next week.
The event was ugly, with racist jokes about Puerto Ricans and Black people. It was weird, with appearances by wrestler Hulk Hogan, the now-nearly-destitute Rudy Giuliani and some hack radio host who said of the Democratic Party: “The whole f---ing party, a bunch of degenerates, lowlifes, Jew-haters.”
The rally was an insult to decency, an hours-long freak show fully endorsed by the GOP thanks to an appearance by House Speaker Mike Johnson. It sent shock waves across the country, drawing condemnation even from Republican lawmakers and earning the Trump campaign headlines like:
Trump's Madison Square Garden rally was a festival of hate and conspiracy
US comedian Tony Hinchcliffe speaks during a campaign rally for former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on October 27, 2024.
Trump’s massive ego demanded a rally in New York City, even though New York is a reliabily blue state. What the former president got was a self-inflicted October surprise, one that will define him and the entire Republican Party from now until Election Day.
Sunday’s rally started with an alleged comedian, Tony Hinchcliffe, saying: “I don’t know if you guys know this but there’s literally a floating island of grbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.
He followed up with additional racism: “And these Latinos, they love making babies, too. Just know that. They do. They do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that." He went on to spin that garbage into a graphic sexual joke.
Hinchcliffe also peddled some lowest-common-denominator racism, talking about Black people “carving watermelons” at Halloween.
Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk and Stephen Miller – yikes
Hulk Hogan tears his shirt during a rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, at Madison Square Garden, in New York City, U.S. October 27, 2024.
Radio host Sid Rosenberg took the stage and called Democrats “degenerates” and “lowlifes.” Fund manager Grant Cardone called Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris “fake” and said “her and her pimp handlers will destroy our country.” Loathsome former Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson mocked the fact that Harris is biracial – her mother was Indian and her father is Jamaican – calling her a “Samoan-Malaysian low-IQ former California prosecutor.” Vampiric Trump lackey Stephen Miller ominously decried immigrants, saying: “America is for Americans and Americans only.”
At one point, the Madison Square Garden crowd started mocking Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, by chanting “Tampon Tim!”
Trump showed up to MSG and made things even worse
Once Trump took the stage, he continued the insanity, repeating his un-American claims that those who don’t support him are “the enemy from within” and saying: “For the past nine years we have been fighting against the most sinister and corrupt forces on earth.”
Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris alongside Philadelphia City Councilmember Quetcy Lozada (R) greets supporters at Freddy & Tony’s Restaurant, a locally-owned Puerto Rican restaurant on October 27, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.More
He called Harris “a low-IQ individual” and, fully unhinged, said the United States “is now an occupied country.”
He labeled the media “the enemy of the people” and, perhaps scariest of all, talked about having anti-vaccine nutter Robert F. Kennedy Jr. be part of his administration: “I'm gonna let him go wild on health. I'm gonna let him go wild on the food. I'm gonna let him go wild on medicines.”
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Trump's rally was a gift for Harris and Democrats
In total, it was more than five hours of anger, conspiracies, veiled and not-at-all veiled racism, and growling, low-brow nonsense. It was a look down the pit of shame the Republican Party has lowered itself into with its slavish devotion to Trump. It was, objectively, a political disaster, alienating huge swaths of voters, from the Puerto Rican community to the Black community to the “people who don’t think horrible people should get elected” community.
Supporters of Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump gather outside at Madison Square Garden before a campaign rally on October 27, 2024 in New York City. Trump's appearance in the traditionally Democratic city comes less than two weeks before the presidential election.More
So now there’s a week left in which Republicans will be fully defined by this hateful buffoon, by this convicted felon they willingly joined for a lenthgy drag through the mud. The party showed America and the world, clear as day, that it’s a big tent shy of a circus.
The question now is whether voters will look at clips of Sunday’s rally, hear the justified outrage and feel repulsed.
Is that chaos and cruelty what they want for the next four years? Is that who we are? Should Trump’s invidious personality be the face of America?
If your answers to those questions are “no,” “no” and “hell no,” I have a suggestion: Keep the vile images of that rally in your mind, and vote so hard it leaves your arm sore.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Opinion: The ugliness Trump, GOP created was on full display in NYC
Tony Hinchcliffe Called Puerto Rico a ‘Floating Island of Garbage’: His Hate Disguised as Comedy Wasn’t Funny or a Joke
Clayton Davis
Sun, October 27, 2024
I am Puerto Rican, and my country is no “floating island of garbage.” But the people who think that sure are — even if it’s disguised as humor.
When comedian Tony Hinchcliffe took the stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday for a MAGA rally in support of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, he didn’t just cross a line — he fully erased it. What he called “humor” was a continuous stream of racist insults and dangerous conspiracy theories, from stereotypes about Latinos making multiple babies, to the “great replacement theory,” the ideology behind violent hate crimes committed by white men against communities of color. This isn’t a joke. It’s a weapon, and I’m fucking tired of being the target, and so are the rest of my people.
Growing up as a Puerto Rican and Black American, I was aware early on that I stood out among many of my classmates and neighbors. I’ve learned to take pride in my roots, believing that America was a place where everyone, despite their differences, belonged. But that notion has shifted sharply as I grew older and witnessed the rise of Trump and the MAGA movement, which cast people who look like me as the villains in a story we’d never written. This shift has forced me, and countless other Latinos, to confront a painful reality: in today’s America, we’ve become the scapegoats in a narrative of fear, blamed and vilified to suit a political agenda.
Being labeled “an invader” or “an alien” is more than just an insult. It’s a form of dehumanization that chips away at one’s sense of belonging. Hearing those words echoed in speeches, on social media and in public policy doesn’t just hurt — it frightens. It’s one thing when the words come from a stranger, but it’s something else when it comes from a podium, wrapped in an alleged seal of patriotism.
When Hinchcliffe responded to the criticism of his performance on X, addressing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz, he wrote: “These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set. I’m a comedian, Tim…might be time to change your tampon.”
You vacation in Puerto Rico? Might as well say you can’t be racist because you have a Black friend. And context? Hinchcliffe firmly placed himself firmly in the center of this “context.” This wasn’t “jokes.” It was hostility veiled as comedy, delivered with the arrogance of someone who doesn’t understand — or care — how these words impact real lives.These words don’t only hurt Latinos; they ripple through every marginalized community. When one group is vilified, it sets a precedent that any group can be targeted. The anti-immigrant sentiment championed by Trump and echoed by his followers delivers the message loud and clear: when people show you who they are, believe them.
Today, it’s Puerto Ricans. Tomorrow, it will be Mexicans again. A few weeks ago, it was Haitians eating dogs and cats. America’s strength, at least the version of America i thought I knew, has always come from the diversity of its people. We are allowing hate disguised as comedy, or hate straight up, to take the reins. I’m begging for us to reject it.
And here’s a stark reminder for you, Tony: Over 4,000 Puerto Ricans died in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria due to the failed response under the Trump administration. That wasn’t a punchline. It was negligence that morphed into a tragedy. Your so-called “comedy” does not absolve you from the harm caused by your message tonight that you normalize and perpetuate. It will be played on loop in every MAGA party (I’m sure you’ll be attending), and we don’t expect you to apologize. You never do.
People who know “Kill Tony” may recall May 2021. Hinchcliffe found his way into the eye of the “cancel culture” storm. A racial slur hurled at fellow comedian and Asian American Peng Dang during a gig in Austin, Texas, catapulted him into a whirlwind of backlash. The incident, caught on video and circulated widely on Twitter, resulted in Hinchcliffe being dropped by his talent agency, WME.
He doubled down further in October 2023, when he stirred the pot further by appearing on the controversial far-right YouTube show “TRIGGERnometry,” where conspiracy theories are tossed around like popcorn. This time, he painted Dang as “a Chinese spy,” claiming the incident was “an orchestrated attack by the Chinese media.”
When hate is celebrated under the guise of humor, its roots only deepen.
It doesn’t have to be this way. If we refuse to accept this hate as “just politics” or “just jokes,” we can find a way back to one another. No one is trying to stifle comedy. I’m an advocate of the art form but we must hold leaders, entertainers, and everyday people accountable for their words and actions.
In the upcoming election, we have a choice. We can let Tony feel “vindicated” and be right about the picture he painted so erroneously tonight, allowing hate to shape decisions. Or we can choose compassion, understanding and unity. We can reject the politics of division and work to bridge the gaps between us rather than building walls that tear us apart.
I’m reminded of something comedian Anthony Jeselnik said last year on Theo Von’s podcast “This Past Weekend,” when he said, “All these comics now think, almost the point of it is to get in trouble. ‘I’m a comic. I’m allowed to say whatever I want.’ That’s wrong.”
Jeselnik then quotes Andy Warhol: “Art is getting away with it.” If people are mad, then you didn’t get away with it.
So no, Tony, I don’t think you’re getting away with this one.
Comedian at Trump rally mocks Puerto Rico, gets mixed reaction from crowd
Brett Samuels
Sun, October 27, 2024
(The Hill) — A speaker at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden on Sunday spent a portion of his time attacking Puerto Rico, drawing backlash from Democrats and the Harris campaign.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who goes by Kill Tony, delivered a set to the crowd ahead of the former president’s speech.
“There’s a lot going on. Like, 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,” Hinchcliffe said, eliciting mixed reactions from the crowd.
The remarks, particularly about Puerto Rico, were swiftly condemned by Democrats.
“As a Puerto Rican, I am tempted to call Hinchcliffe racist garbage but doing so would be an insult to garbage,” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) posted on the social platform X. “When casting their ballots at the voting booth, Latinos should never forget the racism that Donald Trump seems all too willing to platform.”
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Harris campaign aides noted Hinchcliffe’s remarks came as Vice President Harris was in Philadelphia speaking at a Puerto Rican restaurant, where she detailed her plans to assist the island and bolster its electrical grid.
Other Democrats pointed out that hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans live in Pennsylvania, which is shaping up to be one of the most critical battlegrounds on Election Day.
“Who wants to tell these guys there are ~ HALF A MILLION Puerto Ricans living in Battleground PA, whose votes are up for grabs?” Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump White House official who is an outspoken critic of the former president, posted on the social platform X.
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