Tony Hinchcliffe, the pro-Trump comedian, is standing by his controversial Puerto Rico joke. He faced a storm of backlash after making the joke during a rally for Donald Trump in October.
Hinchcliffe addressed the controversy on his "Kill Tony" podcast, recorded the day after Trump's Madison Square Garden rally. "Last night I gave a speech, I don’t know if you heard about this," he joked. "It was a speech about free speech. I am currently under attack. I referenced Puerto Rico, which has a landfill problem. I guess I’m the only one who knew about it."
He added, "I love Puerto Ricans, they’re very smart people—smart enough to know when they’re being used as political fodder. Right now, that’s happening."
“I apologize to absolutely nobody,” Hinchcliffe declared. “Not to Puerto Ricans, not to the Whites, not to the Blacks, not to the Palestinians, not to the Jews, and not to my own mother.” He pointed out no one was covering the part of his set where he made fun of his mother.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe addresses the backlash from his set at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally:
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) November 12, 2024
"I love Puerto Ricans, they’re very smart people. They’re smart, they’re street smart, they’re smart enough to know when they’re being used as political fodder. Right now that… pic.twitter.com/UeUoKcWP3J
Hinchcliffe admitted that the venue might not have been ideal but doubled down. “Perhaps that venue wasn’t the best f—ing place. But to the mainstream media and anyone slandering me online: That’s what I do. I go hard and that’s never going to change.”
The backlash from his Puerto Rico joke was intense. Hinchcliffe had called the island "a floating island of garbage," which sparked criticism from media figures, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, and even President Biden.
Hinchcliffe responded on social media. "These people have no sense of humor," he wrote. "Wild that a VP candidate would waste time analyzing a joke taken out of context." He also defended himself, saying, "I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. Watch the whole set. I’m a comedian, Tim. Might be time to change your tampon."
Keith Olbermann mocked Hinchcliffe’s joke, suggesting it could sway the election in Harris' favor. "Congrats on electing the VP. Know how many Puerto Ricans vote in the swing states?" Olbermann posted.
Despite the uproar, Trump distanced himself from the joke. His campaign stated, “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
The backlash didn’t stop Trump from making gains. In Florida, Trump won counties with large Puerto Rican populations—areas he lost in 2016 and 2020. Osceola County, home to the largest concentration of Puerto Ricans in Florida, flipped to Trump, as did Miami-Dade and Hillsborough counties.