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Outraged Puerto Rican community leaders and Latino elected officials railed Tuesday against a racist joke made at a Donald Trump rally, but they also blamed the “stupidity and ignorance” of the comedian responsible for lighting fire among an influential voting bloc.
They said the community’s voice could be decisive in the Nov. 5 election, especially in states with a large Puerto Rican electorate like Pennsylvania.
“I want to thank the man for his stupidity and ignorance in giving 500,000 Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania something to stand up for,” said Hipolito Roldan, CEO of the Hispanic Housing Development Corp.
Roldan was one of nearly a dozen speakers at a news conference Tuesday at Mercado Del Pueblo on Division Street in Humboldt Park — the heart of Chicago’s Puerto Rican community. They condemned the prank and implored eligible Puerto Ricans to go to the polls.
“I want to thank the man for his stupidity and ignorance in giving 500,000 Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania something to stand up for,” Hipolito Roldan, CEO of the Hispanic Housing Development Corp, said of a comedian at a Trump rally in New York on Sunday who made a joke denigrating Puerto Rico.
“It is important that we translate this anger into real action, otherwise it is pointless,” said Jose Lopez, executive director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, which organized the event.
Stand-up comedian Tony Hinchcliffe joked Sunday at a rally for Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, at New York’s Madison Square Garden that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of trash.” Hinchcliffe made crude jokes about other Latinos, black people and Jews. Other speakers at the meeting also denigrated minorities.
Puerto Rican stars, including singer Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin, expressed their disgust at the prank to their millions of followers on social media.
Some Trump allies have expressed alarm that the rally, which was supposed to underscore the former Republican president’s closing message a week before the election, has instead served as a distraction and even a burden, given the electoral importance of Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania and other key areas. swing states.
With nearly 6 million voters eligible to cast ballots in the U.S., Puerto Ricans are the second-largest Latino voting group, according to the Pew Research Center.
U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez is calling on Chicago’s Puerto Rican community to contact family members in swing states and urge them to vote on November 5.
According to 2020 Census data, Chicago is home to more than 93,000 Puerto Ricans.
When given the chance to apologize at events and in an interview on Tuesday, Trump instead leaned forward. Speaking at his Florida resort, he said “there has never been such a wonderful event,” referring to the New York meeting.
Later Tuesday, Trump held a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a city with a large Hispanic population, where Puerto Rico’s shadow U.S. senator Zoraida Buxo endorsed him. She voiced her support for Trump on X, saying Trump is the “strong leader” Puerto Rico needs.
Still, there was anger in Allentown. Ivet Figueroa, 61, stood outside the venue holding a trash can with the words “Trash Trump” on it.
She said of the insult and Trump: “The person who said it was vetted by him. So that’s what he allowed, so he needs to take responsibility for what he said. Now it’s too late to say ‘sorry’. I don’t want an apology, I want justice, and justice is on November 5.”
In Humboldt Park, U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez did not mention Hinchliffe by name at Tuesday’s press conference, but she referred to him as a “POS comedian.”
She said the unwillingness of Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, to denounce the hoax reflects their true attitudes toward Puerto Rico and its people. Ramirez called on Puerto Ricans with friends and family members in swing states to reach out as much as possible and get people to vote.
“Your WhatsApp chats, your family, the bakery, the church, wherever you are, pueblo puertorriqueno, this is the moment for this country to understand who you are, what you represent, the power you have, the contributions you make you delivered,” she said. “The Puerto Rican people deserve self-determination, deserve respect and will make sure their voices are truly heard on November 5, when we will finally throw away the trash on that day if we get rid of Donald Trump.”
Other elected officials who spoke Tuesday included City Clerk Anna Valencia, State Rep. Lilian Jimenez, State Sen. Natalie Toro and Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th).
Comedian and actor Melissa DuPrey, who was born and raised in Humboldt Park and has Puerto Rican roots, said she was “almost grateful” when she heard about the insult at the Trump rally because it woke her community up to what was at stake stands in these elections. .
Comedian and actor Melissa DuPrey was born and raised in Humboldt Park and has Puerto Rican roots.
“To see that we are not safe under the Trump administration,” she said. “Our island would be stripped of its value, its humanization and its natural resources under his rule, so I said thank you for showing us your true character.”
Lyrik Cruz, a native of Humboldt Park who now lives in Los Angeles, wore a shirt that said “RSPETO,” a shortened version of the Spanish word for respect, and held up Puerto Rican flags as he listened to the speakers.
He said the comments were “like a slap in the face” and a reminder of how the Puerto Rican community felt undermined and mistreated by some politicians. He said they can do something about it this time.
Lyrik Cruz wears a shirt with the abbreviation of the Spanish word for ‘respect’.
Contributions: Associated Press