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JD Vance responds to Tony Hinchcliffe’s Puerto Rico joke
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JD Vance responds to Tony Hinchcliffe’s Puerto Rico joke

Topline

Former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, responded Monday to a controversial joke made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe — in which he called Puerto Rico “a floating island of trash” — that has been widely labeled racist saying, “we need to stop getting so offended about every little thing in the United States of America,” adding, “I’m so over it.”

Key facts

Vance – who spoke at a rally in Wausau, Wisconsin – said he had not seen the joke and would not comment on the details, but said: “Maybe it’s a stupid racist joke … maybe not.”

Hinchcliffe, a veteran comic who hosts the “Kill Tony” podcast, made the joke about Puerto Rico during a speech at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, drawing immediate criticism from Democrats and some Republicans and leading to the Trump campaign distanced itself. of the comedian.

“We are not going to restore the greatness of American civilization if we are offended by every little thing. Let’s have a sense of humor,” Vance said before ending the meeting.

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Crucial quote

“Can we all just take a cold pill and joke around every now and then? This is ridiculous,” Vance said.

In return for

Although Vance suggested the joke should not be taken seriously, the Trump campaign released a statement shortly after the MSG meeting ended, attempting to distance itself and the former president from Hinchcliffe’s comment. Danielle Alvarez, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, told Forbes in a statement: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

Important background

Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden made headlines for the raunchy jokes and extreme comments from some of the nearly 30 speakers who took the stage before Trump — although Hinchcliffe’s comment about Puerto Rico and another joke about Latinos drew the most criticism. As part of his opening statement to the meeting, Hinchcliffe said: “I don’t know if you know this, but there is literally a floating island of rubbish in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” Almost immediately, lawmakers of Puerto Rican descent began responding to the joke on X, formerly known as Twitter: Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said, “I’m tempted to call Hinchcliffe racist bullshit, but that would be an insult to trash” and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., slammed Hinchcliffe, saying: “This isn’t the comedy store. You use your set to boost neo-Nazis… your ‘sense of humor’ doesn’t change that.” At least three Republican lawmakers from Florida, Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar and Carlos Gimenez, along with Sen. Rick Scott, have also denounced the joke.

Tangent

As a result of Hinchcliffe’s joke on Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris received new support from Puerto Rican celebrities. Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin – who have 250 million, 45.6 million and 18.6 million followers respectively – all posted content in support of Harris on their Instagrams after Hinchcliffe’s joke. Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Marc Anthony also reiterated his support for Harris, saying in a post on …while thousands died.”

Read more

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