On Sunday evening, Philadelphia Councilmember Quetcy Lozada attended a campaign event with Vice President Kamala Harris at a local restaurant as the Democratic presidential candidate unveiled a new economic proposal for Puerto Rico.

Lozada is of Puerto Rican descent and represents the Seventh City Council District in Philadelphia, which is made up of more than 50% Latino, primarily Puerto Rican, residents.

As Lozada left the campaign event, her phone started blowing up. Contacts started sending her text messages with the video of a comedian’s racist comments during a Trump rally in New York.

“I got in the car, watched the video and had to play it several times to make sure I heard what I actually heard,” Lozada said in an interview. “I was definitely frustrated, I was angry – but I wasn’t surprised.”

As the Harris campaign announced its policy proposals for Puerto Rico, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe opened the Trump campaign rally in New York. Hinchcliffe made racist and disparaging comments about Puerto Ricans during his introduction.

“A lot is happening. I don’t know if you know this, but there is literally a floating trash island in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” says Hinchcliffe, a comedian and host of the popular podcast and stand-up comedy show Kill Tony.

The racist comments spread like wildfire and sparked anger and outrage in Pennsylvania, one of the key battlegrounds in the US elections, which many experts say is crucial to any effort to win the White House. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 472,000 Puerto Ricans live in the state of Pennsylvania.

A Puerto Rican voter, Yemele Ayala, who also attended the Harris campaign event in Philadelphia, found Hinchcliffe’s comments disturbing.

“We have to take this for granted: people’s behavior tells the truth about themselves,” Ayala said. “And this isn’t the first time our Puerto Rican community has felt disrespected.”

When Ayala, a Harris supporter, watched the video with the racist comments, her first thoughts were: “We still have more work to do.”

The backlash against the racist comments has led Democratic Party leaders to denounce Trump’s campaign and seize the opportunity to mobilize voters among Latino communities. On Monday morning, Lozada joined the Harris campaign in a press conference in denouncing the racist comments.

The Guardian spoke to Puerto Rican community leaders and voters who have expressed anger over racism and hope it will motivate people to vote for Harris in the crucial state.

Lozada said the racist comments were representative of the Trump campaign’s view of immigrant communities. “Today the topic of conversation is Puerto Ricans. Not so long ago, they were Venezuelans, they were Mexicans – they were immigrants in general.”

During the Trump rally, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez live-streamed their response to the racist comments.

“Who is that bastard?” Walz asked, adding: “There are hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans spread across the battleground states that we need to send a message to them: you need to vote.”

In response, comedian Hinchcliffe published a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying the Democratic party has “no sense of humor.”

“I love Puerto Rico and vacationing there,” the comedian added. “I made fun of everyone… watch the whole set. I’m comedian Tim…maybe it’s time to change your tampon.’

The Trump campaign, in turn, tried to distance itself from Hinchcliffe’s comments. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” a Trump campaign adviser said in a statement to Fox News. Other Republicans also tried to distance themselves from racist comments, including Florida Senator Rick Scott.

Puerto Ricans on the island, despite being U.S. citizens, are not eligible to vote. However, those located in US states can vote.

After the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico became a US territory. In 1917, Puerto Ricans became American citizens. But because of the island’s status, Puerto Ricans on the island pay no federal income taxes and have no political representation in Congress, aside from a non-voting representative.

In 2006 the island was hit by a major recession. The Puerto Rican government borrowed so much money to combat economic problems that it led to a massive debt crisis. In 2016, Congress passed the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act, which established a financial oversight board known as “La Junta” to manage the island’s budget and repay Puerto Rico’s creditors. The Financial Supervisory Board has implemented austerity and privatization programs to encourage investors to come to Puerto Rico.

On Sunday, the Harris campaign announced a new economic plan for Puerto Rico. If elected, Harris promised, he will promote an “opportunity economy” for the island.

“Working with the private sector, the Puerto Rican government, municipalities and other stakeholders, they will fight to strengthen the energy grid, make Puerto Rico a hub for the industries of the future and enhance the island’s role as a vibrant economic and cultural strengthen the center. ,” the Harris campaign said in a fact sheet published on the campaign website.

During the Trump administration, events in Puerto Rico caused further unrest on the island. In 2017, a catastrophic hurricane struck the island, causing deaths and massive destruction in Puerto Rico. After Hurricane Maria, Trump considered the idea of ​​selling Puerto Rico. A report later revealed that the Trump administration had delayed more than $20 billion in hurricane aid to the island after the hurricane. And during a visit to Puerto Rico, Trump faced backlash when he threw paper towels at a crowd in need of supplies.

“Giving this person the opportunity to lead our country could be disastrous,” Lozada said. “At the end of the day, they just helped us — they helped the Democratic party for where we will be on November 5, with this latest incident.”

Ayala, the Puerto Rican voter, agreed. Sunday night’s racist comments, Ayala said, underestimated “the power we have in numbers in this country.

“America and the current state of this country were built on the sweat, blood and shoulders of our community,” Ayala added. “We don’t take that lightly.”