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Trump denies knowing comedian who told crude joke about Puerto Rico
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Trump denies knowing comedian who told crude joke about Puerto Rico

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Former President Trump said he has “no idea” who comedian Tony Hinchcliffe is after the comic sparked a firestorm of controversy over the weekend at his rally in New York. Madison Square Gardencalling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”

“I have no idea who he is. Someone said there was a comedian who joked about Puerto Rico or something like that. And I have no idea who it was. I’ve never seen him. I’ve never heard of him and I don’t want to hear about him. But I have no idea,” Trump told “Hannity” in an interview airing Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. “They put in a comedian, which is what everyone does, you add comedians, you don’t control them and you go crazy. It’s no one’s fault. But someone said bad things.”

Hinchcliffe received a wave of condemnation and criticism from both sides of the political aisle, including from Florida Republican Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio and Florida Representatives Carlos Gimenez and María Elvira Salazar.

Tony Hinchcliffe

American comedian Tony Hinchcliffe speaks during a campaign rally for former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on October 27, 2024. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Danielle Alvarez, a senior advisor to the Trump campaign, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the Puerto Rico joke “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

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Trump doubled down on his knowledge of Hinchcliffe, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity: “Now what they’ve done is taken somebody who has nothing to do with the party, has nothing to do with the party, has nothing to do with us, said something, and they’re trying to make it a big deal but I don’t know who it is.

“I don’t even know who nominated him, and I can’t imagine it’s a big deal. I’ve done more for Puerto Rico than any president, I think, who has ever been president,” Trump said.

Trump and Hannity

Former President Trump speaks with Fox News host Sean Hannity. ((Screenshot/Hannity))

Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny shared a campaign video of Vice President Kamala Harris to his millions of followers on Instagram following the crude joke about his plans for the American territory.

The Harris-Walz campaign took aim at Trump for his administration’s “failed” preparation and response to Hurricane Maria in 2017, which devastated the island and left thousands dead.

“Trump failed to recognize the extent of the suffering of Puerto Ricans. Instead, he congratulated himself and lied about the death toll while most of Puerto Rico lived without clean water or electricity. Rather than to provide meaningful assistance to Puerto Ricans, he visited the island to throw paper towels to the crowd,” reads an excerpt from the. the four-page campaign plan for Puerto Rico.

Kamala Harris

Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center on October 27, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Popular Puerto Rican rapper and singer Don Omarwho has millions of followers across his social media platforms, announced Tuesday that he was supporting Harris.

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“Puerto Rico is my home and my identity, and today, more than ever, I raise my island’s flag with pride. To hear such racist and dismissive remarks directed against my home and against Latinos is heartbreaking. Trump has shown, time and time again, what he thinks of us, and the thought of him and his administration returning to power is deeply concerning,” he said. wrote in an article onformerly Twitter.

Don Omar

Don Omar performs at the Coca-Cola Coliseum on March 15, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Jeremychanphotography/Getty Images)

Norberto Dominguez, precinct captain of the local Democratic Party in Allentown, Pennsylvania, home to a large Puerto Rican population, told Politico that Hinchcliffe’s comments were “spreading like wildfire through the community.”

“It’s not the smartest thing to do, to insult people — a large group of voters here in a swing state — and then go to their homes asking for votes,” Dominguez said.

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Trump is expected to hold a campaign rally at the PPL Center in Allentown on Tuesday evening.