Bad Bunny shows his support for Harris after the comedian made an offensive remark about Puerto Rico at the Trump rally

CNN
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Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny signaled his support for Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday, sharing a clip on social media about the vice president's plans for the island shortly after a speaker at Donald Trump's rally in New York made an offensive joke, which sparked outrage.

The move comes as both the Harris and Trump campaigns are vying for the Puerto Rican vote, particularly in battleground Pennsylvania, where about 500,000 Puerto Ricans live. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known as Bad Bunny, shared the campaign clip with his more than 45 million followers on Instagram.

“I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he didn’t do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and competent leader,” Harris says in the video, which Bad Bunny shared several times focusing on Trump. “He has abandoned the island, tried to block aid after successive devastating hurricanes, and offered nothing but paper towels and insults.”

Thousands of people died in Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Maria in 2017, shortly after Hurricane Irma caused massive power outages across the island. When then-President Trump surveyed the damage in Puerto Rica following Hurricane Maria, he was met with backlash after throwing relief supplies, including paper towels, to the island's residents.

Bad Bunny's post on Sunday was the first hint of support for the artist as the Harris campaign looks to secure celebrity endorsements. And outrage grew over comments made by Tony Hinchcliffe, a comedian and podcast host, who attacked Puerto Rico at Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden.

“There's a lot going on, I don't know if you know this, but right now there's literally a floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean. Yes. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” he said. Puerto Rico is a US territory.

According to a familiar source, Harris campaign officials had spoken with Bad Bunny's team and hoped he would support the vice president's plan for Puerto Rico.

“This was a thoughtful and deliberate approach that focused on the issues,” the source said.

A representative for Bad Bunny told CNN that his reposting of Harris' video on Instagram was “not an endorsement” but rather that he “supports” Harris. “Benito’s political focus has always been on Puerto Rico,” his representative told CNN. His representative did not provide any information about whether the musician would officially give his consent before the election.

According to a source familiar with the campaign's Hollywood reach, an endorsement from Bad Bunny has been high on the Harris campaign's celebrity wish list for months. The campaign understands the broad reach that Bad Bunny has within the Latino community and believes his support could help persuade young male Latino voters – a demographic drawn to Trump.

The campaign also celebrated Bad Bunny alongside Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin and shared the vice president's message on social media.

Earlier Sunday, Harris visited Freddy & Tony's Restaurant, a Puerto Rican restaurant in North Philadelphia, where she spoke about Puerto Rico's challenges and discussed her policies targeting the island.

“I will create an Opportunity Economics Task Force for Puerto Rico,” she said, adding that she wants to focus on two things: creating economic opportunities for the island and improving the electric grid.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister and Max Rego contributed to this report.