Tony Hinchcliffe defends Puerto Rico joke, says he loves holidaying there

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe has defended his joke at Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden in which he called Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash” and said he enjoys vacationing there.

His Sunday speech drew backlash from Puerto Ricans and Democratic politicians, who condemned the joke and other parts of the speech, saying it contained racist remarks toward black and Latino participants. A 19-second recording of the Puerto Rico joke posted on X by user @Acyn had been viewed 27.7 million times as of Monday morning.

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“These people have no sense of humor,” Hinchcliffe wrote

Newsweek Hinchcliffe reached out for comment via his manager's email address.

The joke, which Hinchcliffe said was taken out of context, was made about Latinos during part of his set. “Where are my proud Latinos tonight?” he said before launching into a series of jokes about immigration and the Texas-Mexico border. “See what I mean? It’s wide open, there’s so many of them,” he said.

“Right now there is literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean. “I think her name is Puerto Rico?” Hinchcliffe said, triggering murmurs and silence from the crowd.

In an email to NewsweekTrump senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

Hinchcliffe has a history of racial controversy. In 2021, he was fired by his agent after he called a Chinese comedian a racial slur on stage and called members of the audience “race traitors” for laughing at the Chinese comedian's jokes.

Hinchliffe replied to Walz that he “made fun of everyone” on the set of Madison Square Garden.

“I love Puerto Rico and vacationing there,” he wrote. “I made fun of everyone…look at the whole set. I’m a comedian, Tim…maybe it’s time to change your tampon.”

The tampon remark is a reference to a frequent Republican nickname for Walz — “Tampon Tim,” in reference to a bill Walz signed as governor of Minnesota that required menstrual products to be made available in school bathrooms.

Ocasio-Cortez gave a scathing response to Hinchcliffe's defense. “I can't get over this guy telling someone else to change their tampons when he's the one shitting in his ambush after realizing he's opening up for and along with a Trump rally Crowd of other fanatics fuel racism with red meat. “A frothing crowd ironically makes you one of them,” the congresswoman wrote on There is a difference.

Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman pointed out that hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans live in Pennsylvania, which is likely to be the crucial swing state for the outcome of the election. “They are vital to our community – not a punch line for a desperate joke,” Fetterman wrote