Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin were among the celebrities rallying behind Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Sunday night after a comedian at Donald Trump’s rally made a racist joke about Puerto Rico. The rally took place at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where comedian Tony Hinchcliffe shocked attendees with lewd and racist comments targeting Latinos, Jews, and Black people—all key constituencies in the upcoming election, now just nine days away.
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| From left: Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin. Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images; Monica Schipper/Getty Images; Amy Sussman/Getty Images |
In his routine, Hinchcliffe remarked, “I don’t know if you guys 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.” Harris’ campaign swiftly condemned his comment, as it aims to engage Puerto Rican communities in swing states like Pennsylvania.
Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny, who has a massive 45.6 million followers on Instagram, took to his platform to respond. He shared a Story featuring a video of Harris, in which she criticizes Trump for his handling of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
These hurricanes devastated the island within weeks, leaving thousands dead. A 2021 report from the Housing Department’s Office of the Inspector General confirmed that the Trump administration delayed more than $20 billion in hurricane relief aid for Puerto Rico after the disaster.
Bad Bunny’s IG Story featured a clip of Harris’ earlier post on X (formerly Twitter), where she asserts, “There is so much at stake in this election for Puerto Rican voters and for Puerto Rico.” She emphasizes the importance of the election, stating, “This election is not just a choice between Donald Trump and me. It is a choice between two very different visions for our nation.”
In his post, Bad Bunny replayed a second clip multiple times where Harris declares, “I will never forget what Donald Trump did, and what he did not do, when Puerto Rico needed a caring and competent leader. He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes, and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.”
Ana Navarro, co-host of The View, praised Bad Bunny, known offstage as Benito MartÃnez Ocasio, on X, remarking, “Fuck around and find out.” Navarro continued, “After Trump rally speaker calls Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage,’ #BadBunny weighs in, sharing @KamalaHarris proposal for 🇵🇷 with his 45 MM followers.” She ended her post with a message in Spanish, “Gracias, Benito. Mil y mil gracias por defender tu isla y la dignidad de tu gente” (“Thanks, Benito. A thousand, a thousand thanks for defending your island and the dignity of your people.”)
Jennifer Lopez, herself of Puerto Rican descent and boasting 250 million Instagram followers, also shared part of Harris’ video to her own IG Story, pairing it with a screenshot of Harris’ detailed plan to support Puerto Rico. Ricky Martin, another Puerto Rican star with 18.6 million Instagram followers, followed suit, sharing a clip of Hinchcliffe’s offensive joke in his Story.
New York Congressman Ritchie Torres expressed his outrage on X, posting, “As a Puerto Rican, I am tempted to call Hinchcliffe racist garbage but doing so would be an insult to garbage. When casting their ballots at the voting booth, Latinos should never forget the racism that Donald Trump seems all too willing to platform.”
During the same rally, Hinchcliffe made another offensive joke about a Black audience member, suggesting he had “carved watermelons” with the individual. His comments further fueled condemnation from those already disturbed by the tone of the event.
In response, Democratic organization Battleground New York released a statement decrying the rally as “a torrent of unhinged crazy, racism, and xenophobia.” The group criticized the speeches for their obscene hate, persistent claims that the 2020 election was “stolen,” and their attempts to sow doubt over the 2024 election results.
“Whether it was targeting Puerto Rico with obscene hate, continuing to claim the 2020 election was stolen, or trying to lay the groundwork to say the same in 2024, this rally was an obscene display of unvarnished bigotry for millions to see,” the statement declared. The organization concluded with a call to action: “It’s time to turn the page on this era of politics that’s seen abortion bans, kooky conspiracy theories mainstreamed, and an endless stream of nonsense that does nothing to solve problems for working people.”
