The insult to Puerto Rico by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who He referred to the US territory as “a floating garbage island” at a Donald Trump rally in New York, continues to bring a line. On two fronts. On the one hand, the Republican candidate tries to put out the fire with exaggerated proclamations about his love for Puerto Rico. “No one loves the Puerto Rican community more than me,” he said. On the other hand, in line with some somewhat confusing statements from the current president, Joe Biden: “The only garbage I see floating around is that of his supporters.” Republicans have taken it as an offense, although Biden assures that he was only referring to rhetoric.
Trump has avoided apologizing by the words of Hinchcliffe. It is not in his nature to do so and he does not consider himself responsible for what Hinchcliffe said at the New York rally, in which he also denigrated Latinos in general, blacks, Jews and Palestinians in what the expresidente describes it as a “love festival.” The closest thing to an acknowledgment of the error was what he also did this Tuesday in an interview with the conservative network Fox News.
“They put in a comedian, something that everyone does. You put out comedians, you don’t ban them, it’s nobody’s fault, but someone said some bad things. Now what they have done is take someone who has nothing to do with the party or with us, who said something, and they try to make a big scandal,” he argued.
Furthermore, first in a more restricted event and then at a rally, both in Pennsylvania, the former president tried to heal the wounds at the hand of the shadow senator for Puerto Rico (it is a rather honorific representation, since she does not have a vote or occupies a seat) Zoraida Buxo. At the Allentown rally, he brought the Republican on stage to show her support. “The people of Puerto Rico trust him, they have high hopes, like many Americans. We need this man back in the White House. We need this man to be our commander in chief. “He will make us feel safe and protect us,” he complied resolutely.
Trump broke down at that moment: “We are receiving support from Latinos like never before. We are breaking all records. Hispanics, Latinos. Nobody loves our Latino community and our Puerto Rican community more than me. It’s interesting, because I have done more for Puerto Rico than any president. From afar, without anyone approaching him,” he said.
Trump is remembered throwing toilet paper rolls to the crowd in 2017 as help after the passage of Hurricane María. Democrats have recalled that, after the storm passed, asked if the United States could “sell” Puerto Rico, and tried to minimize the number of victims of the hurricane. I consider making a “swap” of Puerto Rico for Greenland, calling the American Island “dirty.”
The former president, however, has said that he provided the island with historic funding and has boasted about the floating hospital that was sent to care for the sick and wounded before moving on to attack his rival. “I want the best future for Puerto Ricans and Hispanic Americans, Kamala is going to give them poverty and crime. That’s all it’s going to do. And by the way, she has slandered the people of the Catholic Church. I don’t know what’s wrong with the Catholics, they go after the Catholics, but we are going to protect the Catholics too, who are being persecuted by Kamala and her group,” he stated in another of his countless hoaxes. “I will keep your family safe. I will defend good religion. I will bring jobs, wealth and factories back, and Puerto Rico will be very grateful. The entire Hispanic Latin community will be very, very grateful,” he added.
About six million Puerto Ricans live in the United States. Of them, more than half a million, in Pennsylvania, the most decisive of the decisive States. They can tip the balance, hence among republicans The alarms had gone off with Sunday’s insults.
At that same Allentown rally, Trump brought Florida Senator Marco Rubio, also Latino, onto the stage. He was outraged by what he said were Biden’s insults to Trump supporters. “Just moments ago, Joe Biden said our supporters are trash. That you are trash. “He’s talking about the Border Patrol, he’s talking about nurses, he’s talking about teachers, he’s talking about ordinary Americans who love their country and want to dream big again,” he said. “I hope his campaign is about to apologize for what Joe Biden just said. “We are not trash, we are patriots who love the United States,” he added.
Trump quickly recalled that Hillary Clinton called her supporters “deplorables” in the 2016 campaign. “I think this is worse, right? But you have to forgive him, please, because he doesn’t know what he’s saying (…). “He really, honestly, doesn’t know, and I’m convinced he likes me more than he likes Kamala.”
Republicans were outraged by Biden’s words. What the president said, not too fortunately and hesitantly, was: “Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a ‘floating garbage island.’” Well, let me tell you something. (…) The Puerto Ricans that I know in my state of Delaware are good, decent and honorable people. The only garbage I see floating around is that of his supporters… his… his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it is un-American. It is totally contrary to everything we have done, everything we have been.”
The phrase, pronounced in a video conference with Latinos from the White House, was confusing. After, Biden tried to explain himself better and tweeted: “Today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by the Trump supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage, which is the only word I can think of to describe it. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I wanted to say. “The comments at that rally do not reflect who we are as a nation.”
The mere fact that he had to clarify it was proof that he had not been good. Furthermore, her message was inappropriate for the Democratic candidate, who just this Tuesday was giving a rally at the Ellipse, adjacent to the White House, to launch a message of unity, something ruined by Biden’s statement.
