(Adnkronos) – It was supposed to be Donald Trump’s show of strength, to prove that he could invade even liberal New York with tens of thousands of Maga supporters, but the rally at Madison Square Garden ended up launching a new disturbing message of sexism, racism, and vulgarity. And Tony Hinchcliffe’s speech on stage, who hosts the popular podcast ‘Kill Tony’, risks proving to be a political boomerang, who said the US territory of Puerto Rico is “a floating island of garbage”, along with other vulgar and racist comments about Hispanics.
Words that have angered several Republican members of Congress, such as Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar who said she was “disgusted” by this “racist” rhetoric that does not reflect democratic values. Senator Rick Scott, elected in Florida, also condemned the jokes as not “funny” at all. A Trump adviser, Danielle Alvarez, tried to do damage control, saying “Hinchcliffe’s jokes do not reflect the positions of Trump or the campaign
Despite having American citizenship, residents of Puerto Rico cannot vote for president, but they acquire the right to vote if they reside in the United States. The storm caused by the comedian’s jokes could therefore favor the campaign that the Democrats are making to secure the vote of the Puerto Rican communities in the key states, particularly Pennsylvania. Even with a commercial that recalls how Trump blocked aid to the island devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017: a video that Puerto Rican pop stars like Ricky Martin and Bad Bunny have reposted asking their millions of followers to support Harris.
But those of the comedian were not the only vulgarities uttered during the event before Trump, presented by his wife Melania, took the stage at Madison Square Garden. Businessman Grant Cardone said Harris and “his sugar daddies will destroy our country”, while David Rem, Trump’s childhood friend, called her “the devil and the anti-Christ”.
Aside from the former first lady, in a rare campaign appearance, at Madison Square Garden, Trump was able to field a string of iron allies, starting with Elon Musk, the richest man in the world who in recent months has invested over 118 million for the victory of the tycoon. Also on stage were former independent candidate Robert Kennedy, whom Trump promised he would be able to “unleash on healthcare and food” in a second administration, conservative host Tucker Carlson and Speaker Mike Johnson.
Yesterday’s event in New York reflects the strategy Trump is adopting in these final stages of the campaign to focus on solidly Democratic states, where he claims he can win, with mega-rallies, like the one weeks ago in Coachella in California.
