With 9 days till Election Day, Puerto Rico has been thrust into the highlight by each campaigns. Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled a plan to help the island — resulting in an endorsement from Unhealthy Bunny — whereas Puerto Rico was known as “a floating island of rubbish” by comic Tony Hinchcliffe, who spoke at a rally for former President Donald Trump in New York Metropolis.
In an effort to court docket Puerto Rican voters within the U.S. mainland, Harris on Sunday posted a video on her social media platforms pledging to create a Puerto Rican activity drive to create jobs, lower purple tape to make sure catastrophe restoration funds are used shortly and effectively and work with leaders throughout the island to make sure Puerto Ricans have entry to dependable and inexpensive electrical energy.
Rapper and singer Unhealthy Bunny, a global superstar from Puerto Rico, shared the vice chairman’s video on his Instagram account along with his 45 million followers and later posted a clipped portion of the video during which Harris slammed Trump for his response to Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island in 2017.
“I’ll always remember what Donald Trump did and what he didn’t do when Puerto Rico wanted a caring and a reliable chief,” Harris stated within the video. “He deserted the island, tried to dam assist after back-to-back devastating hurricanes, and supplied nothing greater than paper towels and insults.”
In 2017, Trump visited the island to survey harm after Hurricane Maria struck as a serious Class 4 storm. Whereas visiting with survivors, the previous president at one level threw paper towels into the gang when distributing provides, a transfer that was criticized as callous amid widespread frustration over the federal response to the hurricane that left a lot of the island with out energy and meals.
A supply near Unhealthy Bunny confirmed to CBS News that the Instagram publish represents an endorsement of the vice chairman, breaking from Unhealthy Bunny’s longstanding custom to not weigh in on nationwide politics. It is a coveted endorsement with weight that each political events have lengthy hoped to attain to strengthen inroads with Latino voters, given Unhealthy Bunny’s international reputation.
Moments earlier than Unhealthy Bunny’s endorsement, comic Tony Hinchcliffe focused Puerto Rico throughout a set of disparaging jokes whereas talking at a Trump rally in Madison Sq. Backyard.
“I do not know when you guys know this, however there’s actually a floating island of rubbish in the midst of the ocean proper now,” Hinchcliffe stated. “I believe it is known as Puerto Rico.”
Trump senior advisor Danielle Alvarez instructed CBS News, “this joke doesn’t replicate the views of President Trump or the marketing campaign” including that the jokes weren’t reviewed or pre-approved.
Hinchcliffe’s remarks, which additionally included offensive jokes about Black folks and Latinos, have been met with swift backlash, with a number of celebrities popping out in protection of Puerto Rico, Latinos within the U.S. and voicing their help for Harris’ plan for the island. Amongst those that weighed in have been Jennifer Lopez, Ariana DeBose and Ricky Martin. Martin, with over 18 million followers, took to Instagram and posted, “Puerto Rico, that is what they consider us, vote for Kamala Harris.”
A number of Democratic and Republican politicians have been additionally amongst these to denounce Hinchcliffe’s swing at Puerto Ricans, who make up a vital voting group.
Harris’ working mate Gov. Tim Walz stated throughout a livestream with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, “There are tons of of hundreds of Puerto Ricans throughout battleground states. They should vote.”
Ocasio-Cortez agreed with Walz and directed her feedback towards Puerto Ricans within the essential battleground state of Pennsylvania. “In the event you’re in Studying, when you’re in Philly, have a look at that trash,” Ocasio-Cortez stated, referring to Hinchcliffe’s joke. “What’s trash is folks truly simply considering of different human beings that manner.”
Pennsylvania is dwelling to over 579,000 eligible Latino voters with roughly 50% residing throughout the “222 Hall” — a stretch of small cities west and north of Philadelphia together with Studying, Allentown and Bethlehem.
With Trump profitable the Keystone State in 2016 by 44,000 votes and Biden taking it by 81,000 in 2020, slim margins are once more anticipated to find out the end result of the presidential election.
Harris on Sunday spoke on to Latino voters whereas visiting an area Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia. “Once I was within the Senate, realizing Puerto Rico would not have a senator, I at all times felt a necessity and an obligation to do what I might as a senator to be sure that Puerto Rico’s wants have been met,” Harris stated.
Harris marketing campaign spokesperson Kevin Muñoz stated Sunday in a press release, “A reminder: Pennsylvania is dwelling to greater than 1 million Latinos who’re primarily of Puerto Rican backgrounds, and at present, Vice President Harris campaigned within the coronary heart of Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican group speaking not nearly her imaginative and prescient for the island, however how she is going to decrease prices and create alternative of their communities on the mainland.”
On Tuesday, Trump is predicted to marketing campaign in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the place Latinos make up 54% of the inhabitants, the bulk being of Puerto Rican descent.
Republican Florida Senator Rick Scott, an ally of Trump’s, additionally denounced Hinchcliffe’s feedback.
“This joke bombed for a purpose. It isn’t humorous and it isn’t true,” Scott stated. “Puerto Ricans are wonderful folks and wonderful Individuals! I have been to the island many occasions. It is an exquisite place. Everybody ought to go to! I’ll at all times do no matter I can to assist any Puerto Rican in Florida or on the island.”
Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar known as the feedback “racist.”
The island’s Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón, a Republican working for governor of the island, stated the feedback have been “despicable, inappropriate and disgusting.”
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