Donald Trump rallies in the final weeks of the campaign were characterized by overt bigotry and anti-immigrant attitudes, and this did not end with the former president’s local visit to Madison Square Garden.
The rally at the New York Knicks’ home court began with a speech by podcaster and comic Tony Hinchcliffe. The “Kill Tony” presenter agreed with the Trump campaign’s recent escalation of anti-migrant rhetoric, claiming that “Latinos love making babies” and called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”
“There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you know this but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico” pic.twitter.com/IXbXqDijyU
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 27, 2024
Hinchliffe’s jokes are of a piece with Trump’s wider disdain for Puerto Rico. During his term, he attempted to divert federal disaster aid from the U.S. territory to help build his border wall. A former Secretary of Homeland Security in the administration said that Trump asked if it would be possible for the U.S. to sell the island as it was recovering from Hurricane Maria.
The animosity toward Puerto Ricans, who are American citizens, echoes recent points made by Trump himself. The former president has promised the deportation of legal residents who have migrated to the United States and said that recent immigrants to the U.S. have turned the country into a “garbage can.”
In addition to a Colorado event where Trump spent hours stoking fears about Latin American immigration, the former president has repeatedly claimed that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are “eating cats” and other neighborhood pets. Despite local authorities debunking the claim (and his running mate admitting that the story was made up to bolster their narrative), Trump continues to promote the image of a frightening immigrant other.
Many former Trump administration officials have expressed concern that the president is a “fascist” who would rule like a dictator if given a second term.
