Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. speaks during the first day of the Republican National Convention. Photo: Jasper Colt / USA TODAY NETWORK
Anti-LGBTQ+ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) spewed anti-LGBTQ+ talking points to defend a comedian who made numerous racist comments at the New York City rally for Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, held last Sunday.
During his speech, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” said Black people carve watermelons for Halloween, suggested Jews don’t like spending money, and that Latinos “love making babies” and do not “pull out.” Hinchcliffe said his critics “have no sense of humor,” and the Trump campaign said his comments about Puerto Rico “[do] not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
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Following condemnation from Democrats and Republicans, Greene defended Hinchcliffe on X, writing, “The Democrats choose their outrage. They aren’t outraged over naked men exposing their genitals to children at Pride parades or biological men literally beating women in women’s sports or 325,000+ missing migrant children in America under Kamala Harris or Tim Walz putting tampons in boys bathrooms, actually Democrats support all of these vile things.”
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“They don’t care about Puerto Rico and neither do Democrat activists in the media,” Greene added. “It took a comedian to force these issues to the forefront. Instead, Democrats and the complicit media are trying to cancel Tony Hinchcliffe as they continue on their communist agenda to destroy free speech instead of fixing anything. We must always fight against cancel culture and constantly defend free speech!”
In her post, Greene posted a screenshot of Google AI search results discussing Puerto Rico’s “waste management crisis,” an oblique way of referring to garbage in the island U.S. territory.
I was at the MSG Trump rally last night and I heard every speech in their entirety including this speech and comments about Puerto Rico.
In an X post published shortly after his rally speech, Hinchcliffe reposted a video of Puerto Rican Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) criticizing his comments. Walz noted that Puerto Ricans are taxpaying U.S. citizens who have worked hard to restore their island after it was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Ocasio-Cortez said that Puerto Rico is often a “testing ground” for national policies that harm working-class communities across the United States.
“When you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico ‘floating garbage,’ know that that’s what they think about you,” she said. “It’s what they think about anyone who makes less money than them. It’s what they think about people who serve them food in a restaurant… the people who fold their clothes in a store.”
Walz and Ocasio-Cortez said they hoped that Puerto Rican voters in swing states see Hinchcliffe’s comments and vote against Trump and Republicans in the upcoming elections.
In his post, Hinchcliffe wrote, “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.”
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. I’m a… https://t.co/VFxHRcdv5k
Ocasio-Cortez later responded to Hinchcliffe, writing via X, “You don’t ‘love Puerto Rico.’ You like drinking piña coladas. There’s a difference.”
Republican U.S. Representatives Anthony D’Esposito, Maria Elvira Salazar and Carlos Gimenez all criticized Hinchcliffe’s remarks. In response to the remarks, Puerto Rican musicians Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin all reposted a video of Harris condemning Trump’s treatment of the territory.
“I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader,” Harris said in the video. “He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.”
Gay Rep. Ritchie Torres also criticized Hinchcliffe’s comments on X, writing, “As a Puerto Rican, I’m tempted to call Tony Hinchcliffe racist garbage, but doing so would be an insult to garbage. When casting their ballots at the voting booth, Latinos should never forget the racism that Donald Trump seems all too willing to platform.”
As a Puerto Rican, I’m tempted to call Tony Hinchcliffe racist garbage, but doing so would be an insult to garbage.
When casting their ballots at the voting booth, Latinos should never forget the racism that Donald Trump seems all too willing to platform.pic.twitter.com/Wlrulb5ygq
