Trump says he's 'never heard of' Tony Hinchcliffe who made Puerto Rico 'garbage' joke at MSG rally

Former president Donald Trump has claimed he has 'never heard of' the controversial comedian who made a racist joke about Puerto Rico at his rally in Madison Square Garden on Sunday. 

Hinchcliffe, known for his Kill Tony podcast, told attendees at the packed out venue on Sunday: '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.' 

Republican candidate Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity that he had no clue who Tony Hinchcliffe was, or why he was invited to speak at the New York City rally on Sunday. 

'I have no idea who he is. Somebody said there was a comedian that joked about Puerto Rico, or something, and I have no idea who it was. I never saw him, never heard of him, and don't want to hear of him', he told the Fox News host. 

'I have no idea. They put a comedian in, which everybody does... you don't vet them and go crazy. 

'What they've done is taken somebody that has nothing to do with the party, nothing to do with us, said something and they're trying to make a big deal. But I don't know who it is, I don't even know who put him in. And I can't imagine it's a big deal.

'I've done more for Puerto Rico than any other president that's ever been president.'

The controversial comedian also doubled down on his racism and drew on negative stereotypes about Latinos, saying: 'These Latinos, they love making babies, too. Just know that they do. There's no pulling out.' 

'They don't do that. They come inside. Just like they did to our country.'

Almost immediately, the Trump campaign distanced itself from Hinchcliffe, with Danielle Alvarez, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, saying in a statement that the Puerto Rico joke 'does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.'

Democrats pounced on Hinchcliffe's comments, and Republicans sought to distance themselves from the joke. 

Democrat Vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz called Hinchcliffe a 'jackwad' on a Twitch stream with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the hours after the rally.   

Walz's comment is so far the only one to get a rise out of Hinchcliffe, who said in a post on X: 'These people 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.

'I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone...watch the whole set. I'm a comedian Tim...might be time to change your tampon.'

Republican Senator Rick Scott wrote of the joke: '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! I will always do whatever I can to help any Puerto Rican in Florida or on the island.'

Congresswoman Maria Salazar wrote: 'Disgusted by @TonyHinchcliffe's racist comment calling Puerto Rico a 'floating island of garbage.' This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values.'

'Puerto Rico sent 48,000+ soldiers to Vietnam, with over 345 Purple Hearts awarded. This bravery deserves respect,' she added. 'Educate yourself!

Anthony D'Esposito, a New York Republican Congressman who attended the rally, wrote: 'I'm proud to be Puerto Rican. My mom was born and raised in Puerto Rico. It's a beautiful island with a rich culture and an integral part of the USA. The only thing that's 'garbage' was a bad comedy set. Stay on message.'

Outside politics, musicians and actors excoriated Hinchcliffe for his racist jokes, and urged their fans to vote for Kamala Harris. 

Ricky Martin, the Puerto Rican superstar with 18.6 million followers on Instagram, quickly shared a video of Harris's appeal to Puerto Rican voters, along with a clip of Hinchcliffe's disparaging remarks.

'This is what they think of us,' Martin wrote in Spanish. 'Vote for @kamalaharris.' 

Jennifer Lopez shared the same video and multiple slides showing Harris' Puerto Rico policy to 250 million followers.

The video shared by Bad Bunny on Instagram shows Harris saying 'there´s so much at stake in this election for Puerto Rican voters and for Puerto Rico.' A representative of the artist confirmed that Bad Bunny is supporting Harris.

The artist then shared another part of the clip where Harris says, 'I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader.'

Inside the Trump campaign, many fear that the joke will do serious damage to their chances of winning the election, less than a week before polls open on November 5. 

In Pennsylvania, a swing state whose voters are likely to decide the outcome of the election, there are 500,000 Puerto Ricans. 

Chuck Rocha, a political operative for the Democrats who specalizes in mobilizing Latino voters, publicly called for $30,000 in donations to a PAC he runs so he could send a clip of Hinchcliffe's set to Puerto Rican voters across the Keystone State. 

Less than a day later, the New York Times reported, he was sent the money via small donations and sent over 250,000 texts with a 15-second clip of the set.  

'Puerto Ricans have a unique affinity for their homeland. When you attack the island, it cuts so deep with the community', he told the newspaper.