After conservative comedian Tony Hinchcliffe described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” at a recent campaign rally for former President Donald Trump’s, the comedian – and the Republican Party – is facing pushback.
That includes criticism from Contra Costa College students and faculty, who expressed disdain over the comedian’s joke in interviews with The Advocate.
“There is a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now, I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” Hinchcliffe said at the Oct. 27 rally at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Hinchclife’s comment has since sparked controversy on social media platforms such as X around the world, with many comments pouring in to debate what many have called a racist joke
The Trump campaign responded quickly after Hinchcliffe posted his statement on X by saying, “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
Puerto Rico became a U.S territory in 1917 and is one of the oldest territories that the U.S has. Puerto Ricans are counted as U.S citizens but they do not have the same rights. They cannot vote in general elections but can vote in the presidential primaries.
“These people have no sense of humor… I love Puerto Rico and vacationing there.” Hinchcliffe said on X after receiving backlash. Many replied to Hinchcliffe’s statement, including actor Jon Cryer.
“We’re aware that you’re a comedian,” Cryer said. “But when you are a featured speaker at a campaign event, what you say reflects on the campaign.”
Political activist Jack Poso defended Hinchcliffe on X and made a post stating, “Yesterday at a Tim Walz rally, George Lopez made a joke about Mexicans stealing. Apparently, Democrats only dont care when their comedians make jokes.”
“Why is it okay for him to crack jokes about whites, if a white guy can’t joke about Puerto Rico” one person commented”
“That was a quite tame. He’s not a white guy making fun of other racial groups, he’s a Mexican telling a Mexican joke.” another replied
According to UCLA about 5,771,813 people are of Puerto Rican descent based on data gathered from the 2018 census. Across the Contra Costa Community College district there are a total of 47,136 students who identify as Hispanic which makes up 36% of the student population in general.
At Contra Costa College, the headcount of Hispanic students is 10,210, and they represent 46% of our current student population according to the California Community College Data Mart Student Demographic from the 2023-2024 school year.
Faculty members and students at CCC talked to The Advocate about Hinchcliffe’s joke, and most of them were not in favor of his views.
“In our neoliberal stage of world systems, we have been taught to believe that colonialism is behind us, but it’s not, Puerto Rico is a present-day colony of the US. This is an example of how the US government endorses ideological projects of white supremacy in real time,” said Sonia Suárez, a La Raza Studies professor at CCC.
Many professors said they weren’t surprised about the comment or about how it validates racism based on what they’ve seen. Many also felt that these remarks do not just target Puerto Ricans but also many other communities such as the Black, Arab and more.
“The comment was far from funny and actually, not surprising at all. The comment reflects the white supremacist mindset and racist rhetoric that has always defined Trump’s campaign,” said Jessica Lopez, a counselor at CCC who identifies as Puerto Rican. “Language is important, and the language that has continued to be used perpetuates violence, and we cannot tolerate any of the dehumanizing rhetoric of any group of people.”
“The election is a mere extension of this, and it is not lost that with or without calling Puerto Rico an ‘island of garbage’, it is still in 2024 a colony of the United States that continues to be abandoned by the U.S. government and its politicians in times of need, as has been seen with the countless catastrophic hurricanes Puerto Rico and its people have endured, despite the U.S. citizenship provided to Puerto Ricans,” said Lorena Gonzalez, who is also a professor at CCC.
A student stated that “I thought it was disrespectful from people who live in Puerto Rico and I feel like they aren’t taking this seriously”
