Criticism after comedian at Trump rally calls Puerto Rico 'island of garbage'

At Donald Trump rally a comedian called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage", sparking furious reactions from fellow Republicans as well as Democrats.
The comedian, Tony Hinchcliffe, was among the stars who turned out for the event at Madison Square Garden in New York. He also made a series of jokes that leant on racist stereotypes.
A Trump adviser distanced the Republican from the Puerto Rico joke, which was also denounced by Trump's Democratic rival, Kamala Harris. Harris herself was the target of another Trump warm-up speaker who also sparked controversy.
The furore came as one of the world's top Latin celebrities, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, endorsed Harris for president.
In his joke, Mr Hinchcliffe, who goes by the name Kill Tony, said: "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."
The line appeared to meet a mixed reception. Two Republicans in the state of Florida, which has a prominent Puerto Rican population, were among those who called out the joke - joining Democrats.
Writing on X, US congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar said she was "disgusted" by the "racist comment". She said it did not "reflect the GOP values", referring to the Republican Party, and noted the thousands of Puerto Ricans who served in the military.
In his own post on X, US Senator Rick Scott said: "The joke bombed for a reason. It's not funny and it's not true." He added that "Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans".
Puerto Rico is a US island territory in the Caribbean. Its residents are unable to vote in US presidential elections, but there is a large diaspora across the US who can.
Bad Bunny posted multiple videos of Harris talking about the island, her ideas to help residents, and her attacks on how Trump handled Hurricane Maria as president when the deadly storm killed nearly 3,000 people there in 2017.
A source close to Bad Bunny confirmed to the BBC's US partner, CBS News, that this represented an endorsement of Harris, breaking his longstanding tradition of not weighing in on national politics.
In the last seven years, there has been an exodus from Puerto Rico, whose inhabitants have moved to the mainland US including Florida and swing states such as North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Puerto Ricans are now reportedly the second largest Latino subgroup in those states.

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