Donald Trump’s campaign said in a statement Sunday that the comment made by a speaker at the former president’s Madison Square Garden rally about Puerto Rico being a “floating island of garbage” doesn’t “reflect the views of” Trump or his campaign.
“This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” Trump campaign spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said in a statement to CNN.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe was the first speaker during the programming at Trump’s New York City rally and drew backlash after referring to Puerto Rico as “floating island of garbage.”
“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. Yeah. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” Hinchcliffe said.
The comedian’s comments come as both the Harris and Trump campaign have been vying for the Puerto Rican vote, especially in battleground Pennsylvania where about 500,000 Puerto Ricans live.
