“If it wasn't for that racist rally” — Internet reacts to viral video of Puerto Rican voter voting for Kamala Harris after Tony Hinchcliffe’s remarks
A Puerto Rican social media user cast his vote for Kamala Harris following Tony Hinchcliffe's controversial comments at a Trump rally and the internet had a lot to say. A Puerto Rican TikTok user, who went by @joshrodp released a video on Monday, October 28, claiming that he was going to vote for Trump before the controversial rally, which allegedly led him to swap allegiances with Harris.
The user's comments follow a Maddison Square Garden Trump rally on Sunday, October 27, where comedian Tony Hinchcliffe joked that Puerto Rico was a "floating island of garbage". In the viral video, the Puerto Rican man showcased himself casting a vote for Kamala Harris and stated:
"You (Trump) forgot we have the right to vote and we have half a million people in Pennsylvania, we have more than one million people in Florida. And we have something that you don't know, we have dignity and self-respect, so now we're gonna cast vote against you. You're gonna be punished,"
A lot of social media users asked the TikTok user what it might have been like if not for the aforementioned rally. One X user who went by @todd_butler commented:
"So my thing is this, if it wasn't for that racist rally.......oh nevermind,"
Similar comments followed, as few users asked the Puerto Rican man where his "self-respect" was prior to the rally but continued encouraging people to Vote for Kamala Harris and criticized Trump. Here are a few X (formerly known as Twitter) reactions to the viral TikTok video:
"Where was the self respect prior to the comments ? Whatever just keep voting for Kamala plz 🗳️", inquired one X user.
"Give it up he never did respect you..Vote Harris.", added another netizen.
"Huge vibe shift. Huge.", thought yet another X user.
However, a slew of X users claimed that the Puerto Rican man was never going to vote for Donald Trump anyway and alleged that he was lying. Netizens claimed that the controversial joke did not affect anyone.
"Breaking: Person who was already voting for Kamala goes on internet to say he’s voting for Kamala. We’ll have more on this as the story develops!", joked one netizen.
"Yes because a guy with pronouns in his bio was definitely going to vote for Trump 🙄", thought a second X user.
"Not one person changed there vote because of a joke Not one", said another user.
"Another liar exposed", added yet another person.
Tony Hinchcliffe's Puerto Rican joke triggered a wave of backlash
During Sunday's Maddison Square Garden Trump rally, Tony Hinchcliffe, the host of the hit standup comedy show Kill Tony, took the podium and made a joke that became extremely controversial and dominated headlines. Hinchcliffe, a comic well-known for his roasting skills and profane brand of humor was criticized for joking about Puerto Rico. He said at the rally:
"There’s a lot going on. 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's Puerto Rican joke triggered a slew of backlash from a plethora of prominent figures. Republican US congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar took to X and stated that she was disgusted by Hinchcliffe's "racist comment". She further added that the joke did not reflect the values of the GOP.
More criticism came from Republican US Senator Rick Scott, Democrat Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Puerto Rico Republican chair Angel M Cintrón, and Puerto Rico Catholic archbishop Roberto González Nieves, among others.
Following the backlash, Hinchcliffe took to X and made his stance clear. The comedian wrote in response to Walz's criticism of his joke:
"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."
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has not publically reacted to the backlash surrounding Tony Hinchcliffe's Puerto Rican joke, as of yet.