The Trump campaign is distancing itself from an anti-Puerto Rican joke told by a comedian Sunday at former President Donald Trump’s rally in New York. Republicans and Democrats have both condemned the attempt at humor. 

While addressing the crowd at Madison Square Garden, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe said: “There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”

Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez issued a statement saying, “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., was among the Republicans who blasted Hinchcliffe over the joke, posting on X, formerly Twitter: “This joke bombed for a reason. It's not funny and it's not true. Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans! I’ve been to the island many times. It’s a beautiful place. Everyone should visit!”

Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., posted that she was “disgusted” by Hinchcliffe’s “racist comment.”

“This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values,” she wrote on X. “Puerto Rico sent 48,000+ soldiers to Vietnam, with over 345 Purple Hearts awarded. This bravery deserves respect. Educate yourself!”

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said the comment was “completely classless & in poor taste,” adding, “Puerto Rico is the crown jewel of the Caribbean & home to many of the most patriotic Americans I know.”

The joke and other crude and racist insults by speakers Sunday stood to overshadow the rally itself and came on the same day Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s opponent in next week’s election, unveiled a policy proposal aimed at boosting Puerto Rico’s economy.

“Throughout my career, I’ve always fought for the people of Puerto Rico,” Harris wrote on X. “Every chance he got, Donald Trump abandoned and insulted them. As president, I will invest in Puerto Rico's future so that Puerto Ricans can not just get by, but get ahead.”

Harris spent Sunday campaigning in Pennsylvania, including by visiting a Puerto Rican restaurant. A crucial battleground state in the election, Pennsylvania is home to nearly 500,000 Puerto Ricans. 

“They’re crucial to our commonwealth—not a punchline for a desperate joke,” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., wrote on X. “While Trump + his allies won’t stop degrading and belittling, know Kamala Harris is fighting for everyone.”

Puerto Rican music stars Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin, as well as Jennifer Lopez — whose parents are from the territory — shared Harris’ video announcement Sunday. The three have hundreds of millions of social media followers among them. 

Harris told reporters Monday that Trump’s rally was “just more of the same” from her opponent.

“Donald Trump spends full-time trying to have Americans point their finger at each other, fans the fuel of hate and division,” she said. “And that's why people are exhausted with him.”

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz was shown a clip of Hinchcliffe’s remarks during a Twitch livestream interview with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

“Who is that jackwad?” Walz asked afterward. 

“People in Puerto Rico are citizens,” the Minnesota governor said. “They pay taxes, and they serve in the military at almost a higher rate than anybody else.”

Added Ocasio-Cortez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, “I need people to understand that when you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico floating garbage, know that that's what they think about you.”

Hinchcliffe wrote on X that Walz and Ocasio-Cortez “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,” Hinchcliffe wrote. “I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set.”

Among his other jokes, Hinchcliffe said that he and a Black person in the crowd had attended a Halloween party together where they “carved watermelons together.” He also made a lewd joke about Latinos reproducing and derogatory remarks about Palestinians and Jews.

Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation, said in a statement, “It is telling that on the same day that the Harris campaign introduced a plan for resolving issues impacting Puerto Rico, the Trump campaign provided a platform for someone to call Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage’ and to insult the Latino community as a whole.

“Millions of Puerto Ricans in states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, and New York may no longer live on the island, but they still revere it as their ancestral and cultural home, and you cannot continue to disrespect us and think that we are not going to remember that when we go to the ballot box,” Miranda added.

Nanette Díaz Barragán, D-Calif., chair of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, called the rhetoric at Trump’s rally “shameful” and said it “is not only divisive but dangerous.”

“Hateful rhetoric has real-world consequences,” she said in a statement. “When political leaders, influencers, and those with a large social platform choose language that dehumanizes communities, families get hurt, and hate crimes rise.”

Angel Cintrón, chairman of the Republican Party of Puerto Rico, called Hinchcliffe’s comments “unfortunate, ignorant, and entirely reprehensible.”

“There is no room for absurd and racist remarks like this,” he said in a statement. “They do not represent the conservative values of republicanism anywhere in our Nation,” 

Trump has a complicated history with Puerto Rico dating back to his presidency. A 2021 report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General concluded the Trump administration obstructed an investigation into why officials withheld federal aid for Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017. The Trump administration announced $13 billion in aid for the island in September 2020 — three years after the storm and six weeks before a presidential election.

In the aftermath of Maria, Trump wrote on social media that Puerto Rico had “poor leadership” and complained the territory was “not able to get their workers to help” and “want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort.” He was also criticized for tossing rolls of paper towels at residents when he visited the island.