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    • Will Puerto Rico vote in the 2024 presidential race? What you need to know
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    Will Puerto Rico vote in the 2024 presidential race? What you need to know

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    Puerto Rico residents outraged by comments a conservative comedian made about the island during a Sunday rally for Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden will not be able to express their displeasure at the ballot box. But it could still impact the presidential race as both candidates compete for Latino voters to get them to the White House.

    Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who goes by the stage name Kill Tony, took the stage before Trump at the campaign rally in the presidential candidate’s hometown, where he derided Puerto Rico as a “floating island of trash.”

    The comments, which drew condemnation from both sides of the political aisle, left the Trump campaign in damage control, and his campaign sought to distance Trump from the comments.

    Here’s what you need to know about Puerto Rico’s role in the Nov. 5 election.

    Election 2024 live updates: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump’s swing states; latest polls

    Will Puerto Rico vote in the 2024 presidential race?

    More than two-thirds of Puerto Ricans live in the United States — roughly 5.8 million, according to the Pew Research Center. Puerto Rican voters living in the U.S. make up the second-largest Latino group in the country, including in key battleground states like Pennsylvania.

    But even though another 3.3 million Puerto Ricans live on the island, a U.S. territory, they will not be able to vote for president.

    However, Puerto Rico residents can help choose each party’s candidate for president in the primary selection process.

    Trump, who is seeing increasing support among Latino men and has drawn support from Puerto Rican artists such as Anuel AA and Nicky Jam, won Puerto Rico’s 2024 Republican primary, winning 23 of the area’s Republican delegates.

    During Trump’s presidency, Puerto Rico was devastated by two consecutive hurricanes in 2017, killing more than 3,000 people and displacing thousands. Trump was criticized at the time for his response to the storms after he downplayed the damage they caused and an image of him throwing rolls of paper towels at island residents went viral.

    Puerto Rico faces a gubernatorial election in November, with the New Progressive Party in charge.

    Trump campaign under fire after Hinchcliffe’s comments

    Hinchcliffe spoke in opening remarks at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden, just hours before the former president.

    His comments drew widespread criticism from Democrats, fellow Republicans and major celebrities, even amid the Trump campaign’s efforts to distance itself from the comedian.

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

    Puerto Rican celebrities, including Grammy-winning artists Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin, condemned Hinchcliffe’s comments. Bad Bunny shared a video on his Instagram, where he has 45.6 million followers, in which Harris criticized Trump’s actions against Puerto Rico when he was president and laid out her own agenda for the island.

    Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, reporting live from the meeting, also criticized Hinchcliffe and urged Puerto Ricans living in Pennsylvania to see the comments for themselves.

    Contributing: Josh Meyer, Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY

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