Tony Hinchcliffe sparked massive controversy following his appearance at former President Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday (Oct. 27). The comedian left a terrible taste in people’s mouths after jokes he made about Puerto Rico and other minority groups, which drew criticism from prominent Democratic politicians.
“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 said while onstage. His speech also included jokes targeting Jewish and Black Americans, including a reference to the latter carving watermelons instead of pumpkins for Halloween.
The comments drew sharp criticism from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, among countless others. In a livestream, Ocasio-Cortez expressed that she found the jokes "super upsetting" and urged Puerto Ricans across the country to watch the clip. ”When you have some a**hole calling Puerto Rico ‘floating garbage,’ know that that's what they think about you. It's what they think about anyone who makes less money than them,” the New York representative declared. “I want every Puerto Rican in Philadelphia, and Reading, and across the country to see this clip.”
In response to the backlash, Hinchcliffe, known by his stage name Kill Tony and live show of the same name, defended himself on Twitter. He claimed his critics “have no sense of humor” and argued that his jokes were taken out of context to appear racist. He also mentioned that he loves Puerto Rico and vacations there, asserting that he “made fun of everyone” during his set. In a particularly pointed response, he dismissed Governor Walz's criticism with a crude remark suggesting the governor change his tampon.
It didn't take Ocasio-Cortez to return fire on the same platform. “Can’t get over this dude telling someone else to change tampons when he’s the one s**tting bricks in his Depends after realizing opening for a Trump rally and feeding red-meat racism alongside a throng of other bigots to a frothing crowd does, unironically, make you one of them,” she stated. You can see additional remarks from AOC during a CNN appearance below.