KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Some Central Florida Puerto Ricans are sharing their distaste regarding a comment made about the U.S. territory during a rally for former President Donald Trump in New York City over the weekend.
“I don’t know if you guys 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,” Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe said during his Sunday speech to rallygoers at Madison Square Garden.
Hinchcliffe’s words went viral online, with many condemning his views on the island that is home to over 3.2 million American citizens.
Over 1 million Puerto Ricans live in Florida, and some, like Robert Figueroa, are now reconsidering their support for Former President Donald Trump.
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“A lot of people are going to change their vote,” he told News 6 on Monday.
Figueroa said he has rallied many of his fellow Boricuas behind Mr. Trump, but now he might not cast a ballot at all.
“I was going to vote for Donald Trump, [but] when this guy came out in New York, he started talking about Puerto Ricans, that we were garbage,” he explained.
A Trump senior advisor told CBS News that the joke did not reflect the views of the former president or the campaign. However, Figueroa wants a direct response.
“I would tell Donald Trump: Don’t put people talking bad about Puerto Ricans because then you’re not going to win, because we will make you win,” he said.
Other Hispanic Republicans in Florida were quick to condemn Hinchcliffe’s joke.
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“Disgusted by @TonyHinchcliffe‘s racist comment calling Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage.’ This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values,” Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Miami, posted on X.
“I come from a Puerto Rican family and I’m proud to be part of a Puerto Rican Family. Today I saw a video of a supposed comedian, and I have to say that video was an offense to me and our Puerto Rican community. Puerto Rico respects each other!” Joe Melendez, a Republican who is running for Florida House District 43, posted on his Facebook page.
While Trump’s team called it a joke, Central Florida community leaders are taking it seriously. At an event Monday afternoon featuring several Latino groups, Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce President Jorge Figueroa called the comment a “slap in the face.”
“It’s something that does not belong in politics. It was definitely not a joke, you know? And all of those who thought it was funny, it shows their true face, and it is nothing less than pure racism,” he said.
The Chamber of Commerce president said he believes the remarks align with the Former President’s perception of the island, even if he did not say it himself.
“We got to go look back at Hurricane Maria, how he disrespected the people of Puerto Rico, throwing paper towels to individuals who were going through the worst devastation of our island,” Figueroa explained.
The chamber and other Latino community organizations gathered in Kissimmee Monday afternoon to condemn the comment.
“The Puerto Rican people are not a laughing matter,” Puerto Rican Bar Association Vice President Andres Robles Cruz said during the press conference.
“You don’t have to be Puerto Rican to see what happened here,” Kissimmee mayoral candidate Jackie Espinosa said. “There’s are no excuses for what we saw.”
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