Who is Tony Hinchcliffe? Comedian calls Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage’ at Trump rally

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe has come in for widespread criticism online after calling Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" while speaking at a Donald Trump rally.

Hinchcliffe was speaking in front of Trump supporters on stage at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York, when he made the racist joke on Sunday night (October 27).

“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,” he said.

Hinchcliffe also said: “These Latinos, they love making babies, too. Just know that they do.”

The comments were called out by Republicans and Democrats alike, and the Trump campaign distanced themselves from them in a statement after the rally.

“This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” Trump campaign spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said in a statement to CNN.

A number of high profile Republicans hit out at the comments, with Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida criticising them by saying: “It’s not funny and it’s not true. Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans!”

Florida Republican, Rep. Carlos Gimenez also hit out at Hinchcliffe, saying: “This is not a joke. It’s completely classless & in poor taste. @TonyHinchcliffe clearly isn’t funny & definitely doesn’t reflect my values or those of the Republican Party.”

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., also wrote on Twitter/X: “As a Puerto Rican, I am tempted to call Hinchcliffe racist garbage but doing so would be an insult to garbage.”

Hinchliffe defended his comments after facing a backlash online, writing on Twitter/X that critics “have no sense of humor” and adding: “I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone … watch the whole set.”

Who is Tony Hinchliffe?

Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Hinchliffe is a comedian and podcast host who is known for his podcast Kill Tony and for appearances on roast comedy specials.

Known for insult comedy, he appeared as one of the people opening from Trump at Sunday’s rally in Manhattan.

Back in 2021, Hinchliffe was dropped by his talent agency after using a racist slur to refer to an Asian American comedian on stage and a number of his scheduled events were cancelled.

Earlier this year, Hinchcliffe faced a backlash for a vicious joke about Kim Kardashian at Tom Brady’s live Netflix comedy roast.

Hinchcliffe was discussing the Will Ferrell movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and its famous “Whale’s vagina” line when he switched the topic of his roast to reality star Kardashian, who was in the crowd.

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