SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) 鈥 A comic calling Puerto Rico garbage before a packed Donald Trump rally in New York was the latest humiliation for an island territory that has long suffered from mistreatment, residents said Monday in expressions of fury that could affect the presidential election.
Puerto Ricans cannot vote in general elections despite being U.S. citizens, but they can exert a powerful influence with relatives on the mainland. Phones across the island of 3.2 million people were ringing minutes after the speaker Sunday night, and they still buzzed Monday.
Democratic Vice President is competing with Trump to in Pennsylvania and other swing states. Shortly after stand-up comic Tony Hinchcliffe said that, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if you guys know this, but there鈥檚 literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it鈥檚 called Puerto Rico,鈥 announced he was backing Harris.
Hinchcliffe's set also included lewd and racist comments about Latinos, Jews and Black people, all key constituencies in the election.
Non-voters with big influence
Milagros Serrano, 81, has a son who lives in the swing state of Pennsylvania and said the entire family was outraged by the comedian鈥檚 comments.
鈥淗e can鈥檛 be talking about Puerto Rico like that,鈥 she said as she left for a medical appointment. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the one who鈥檚 a piece of garbage."
Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1917, and the first large wave of migration occurred after World War II to ease labor shortages. There are now more Puerto Ricans in the U.S. than on the island.
Those who stayed behind say they often feel like second-class citizens because they can't vote in presidential elections and receive limited federal funding compared with U.S. states.
That festering resentment erupted when Trump visited Puerto Rico after slammed into the island as a powerful Category 4 storm in 2017. He tossed paper towels into a crowd and denied the storm鈥檚 official death toll, with experts estimating that nearly 3,000 people died in the sweltering aftermath.
Jos茅 Acevedo, a 48-year-old health worker from San Juan, shook his head as he recalled the feelings that coursed through him when he watched the Sunday rally.
鈥淲hat humiliation, what discrimination!鈥 he said early Monday as he waited to catch a public bus to work.
Acevedo said he immediately texted relatives in New York, including an uncle who is a Republican and had planned to vote for Trump.
鈥淗e told me that he was going to have to analyze his decision,鈥 Acevedo said, adding that his relatives were in shock. 鈥淭hey couldn鈥檛 believe it.鈥
Angry reaction at home
The comments dominated local news sites late into the night and prompted Jenniffer 骋辞苍锄谩濒别锄, Puerto Rico鈥檚 representative in Congress for the pro-statehood New Progressive Party and a Trump supporter, to call them 鈥渄espicable, misguided and disgusting.鈥
鈥淭hey do not represent the values of the GOP,鈥 she said.
Politics in Puerto Rico are defined by the island鈥檚 political status, so it鈥檚 common to see Democrats and Republicans be members of the same local party.
Meanwhile, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, a Democrat, wrote on Facebook: 鈥淕arbage is what came out of Tony Hinchcliffe鈥檚 mouth, and everyone who applauded him should feel ashamed for disrespecting Puerto Rico.鈥
骋辞苍锄谩濒别锄, , is leading in the polls as the Nov. 5 election looms.
Sonia P茅rez, a 58-year-old parking lot attendant, said she hasn鈥檛 voted for a governor in years but is so angry about the comedian鈥檚 comments and Gonz谩lez鈥檚 support for Trump that she plans to reject Gonz谩lez and the other candidate representing the two main parties that have long dominated in Puerto Rico.
鈥淚t is outrageous that in the 21st century there is so much racism against Latinos when we have contributed so much to the country and it is not recognized,鈥 she said.
Disbelief and indignation
Hinchcliffe鈥檚 comments also prompted reaction from Puerto Rican stars including Ricky Martin, who previously endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. He posted a video of the crude joke and wrote, 鈥淭his is what they think of us.鈥
Outraged Puerto Ricans posted pictures of their island and its bright turquoise waters on social media with captions including: 鈥淚 live where you vacation鈥 and 鈥淧roud to be from the garbage island.鈥
Michael Mel茅ndez Ortiz, a 33-year-old unemployed janitor, said he and a friend thought the video was fake at first because they were so taken aback by what the comedian said.
鈥淲e must be respected,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e are good and upstanding people.鈥
