On October 27, 2024, Tony Hinchcliffe, a stand-up comedian, spoke at a Donald Trump rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. While several speakers and attendees endorsed former President Donald Trump throughout the event, Hinchcliffe faced criticism over his choice of words.

During his speech, the comedian made a ‘joke’ slamming Puerto Rico, stating, “There’s a lot going on. Like, I don’t know if you 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.” Hinchcliffe continued his speech by criticizing Latinos, saying Latinos “love making babies.”

“They do,” he said. “There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside. Just like they did to our country.”

The comedian quickly faced backlash on social media following his offensive comments about Puerto Rico. Several individuals, including Democrats, some Republicans, and Puerto Ricans, called out the comedian. Frankie Miranda, president of Hispanic Federation, said, “Millions of Puerto Ricans in states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, and New York may no longer live on the island, but they still revere it as their ancestral and cultural home, and you cannot continue to disrespect us and think we are not going to remember that when we go to the ballot box.”

Puerto Ricans are rightfully upset by the comments made at the Trump rally. Nevertheless, Republicans, including some Latinos, continue to endorse Trump and his racist views. This indicates that racism is still common in today’s society, allowing such remarks that disrespect certain communities. 

Trump campaign senior advisor Danielle Alvarez notably responded to the matter by releasing a statement that reads, “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.” Additionally, Trump claims he does not personally know the comedian. He said, “I have no idea who he is. Somebody said there was a comedian that jokes about Puerto Rico or something, and I have no idea who he is. Never saw him, never heard of him, and don’t want to hear of him.” Despite Trump’s claims of ignorance, the comedian spoke on Trump’s behalf at his event, showing that in some capacity, he endorses Hinchcliffe’s behavior.

Tony Hinchcliffe later responded to the backlash by releasing his own statement on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). His X statement reads, “These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set.”

Controversy

While the comedian faced various backlash, his remarks also sparked controversy among the public. Many individuals made it clear that the comedian’s “jokes” were insensitive, racist, and deeply hurtful to Puerto Ricans. Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, delivered a sentimental speech at a Democratic rally in response to the offensive comments. Lopez expressed, “It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans that were offended that day. It was every Latino in this country. It was humanity and anyone of decent character…I am the daughter of Guadalupe Rodriguez and David Lopez, a proud daughter and son of Puerto Rico.”

This is reflective of an important perspective that shows what Hinchcliffe said was deeply offensive and hurtful. However, others claim that this society is “easily offended.” Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, responded to the controversial joke by saying, “We have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America; I’m so over it.” Vance further added, “We are not going to restore the greatness of American civilization if we get offended at every little thing. Let’s have a sense of humor.”

In my opinion, what JD Vance said was insensitive because he is allowing offensive, racist remarks targeted at Latinos, in this case, Puerto Ricans. Allowing such racist remarks is especially shameful for Latinos who have served in the military for the United States and, in return, are treated and viewed differently. Additionally, having a “sense of humor” does not imply offending and belittling others at a public rally.

Nevertheless, it appears Tony Hinchcliffe has gained thousands of social media followers after his controversial jokes.

But how much is too far? Especially in a matter that involves politics.

The Internet’s Perception 

“Generation Z”, also known as “Gen Z”, are known for their involvement in politics, consistently advocating for human rights including women’s rights, access to abortion, and racial justice through social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and X. While many praise Gen Z for this, others claim Gen Z is “too sensitive” and cannot handle opposition to their beliefs and opinions. Additionally, many claim Gen Z are “immature”, seemingly calling out cancel culture, a public stance against an individual as a result of offensive actions, which Gen Z has constructed on social media.

But is a “humorous” joke targeting certain ethnic groups by a comedian at a political presidential rally acceptable? Or is Gen Z offering a sensitive perception?

In my opinion, targeting a certain group in a public environment with thousands of people is completely inappropriate. There is a time and place for humorous jokes and a presidential rally is not one of them. While past presidential election candidates have made public jokes, these jokes have not specifically targeted or offended anyone. During the 2012 United States presidential debate, former president Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney laughed alongside the audience at Romney’s joke in which he congratulated Obama on his anniversary saying, “Congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your anniversary. I’m sure this was the most romantic place you could imagine — here with me.”

This portion of the debate allowed the audience and viewers to disregard politics for a brief second and instead laugh at a humorous joke with both of the candidates, regardless of political parties. This is just one of many examples that shows that society can interpret a joke humorously without the need for racist and offensive remarks.

Furthermore, as a member of Gen Z myself, I do not believe that Gen Z is being sensitive to Hinchcliffe’s remarks. The comedian appeared to truthfully voice his opinion about Latinos and Puerto Rico, concealing his opinion through “jokes” at a Trump rally.

Nonetheless, individuals continued to showcase their support, electing Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States. This shows that the majority of American society favors a candidate and president who has consistently showcased his racism and his intent to deport Latinos. This is generally concerning and worrying especially for younger generations who will most likely continue to endure a society filled with hate and racism.

Conclusion

While controversy continues to surround the comedian’s choice of words, with many calling Gen Z “sensitive” and “having no sense of humor,” the speaker’s “jokes” were completely inappropriate and severely hurtful to Latinos, especially Puerto Ricans. Many Latinos migrate to the United States in order to provide their families a better life and are treated poorly despite contributing to many jobs that wouldn’t be possible without them.

Additionally, although Trump has notably claimed not to know the comedian who made the offensive remarks at his event, Trump’s perspective towards Latinos does not differ from the comedian’s “jokes.” It is important to acknowledge the type of president American society is voting for when the veil of “worrying about the economy” is dropped.