Recently, the Trump campaign took an interesting approach to encourage Americans to vote for the former president: allowing a comedian to hurl racist insults at several marginalized communities under the guise of humor. 

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe took to the rally stage at Madison Square Garden Oct. 27 to endorse former President Donald Trump and perform a comedy set for his supporters. Just days before the election, Hinchcliffe insulted a community of over five million potential voters who Trump has conflicted with in the past: Puerto Ricans. Likening Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage,” Hinchcliffe connected his racist sentiments to the campaign he had just endorsed. Many Puerto Rican voters reside in swing-states, making it imperative for the Trump campaign to appeal to their community, not insult them. 

Although the Trump campaign denied they approved any of Hinchcliffe’s racist remarks, the comedian’s offensive comparison has caused political problems for the former president. Members of the Democratic Party, including Vice President Kamala Harris, took this incident as an opportunity to mobilize Latino voters. In Latino communities in Pennsylvania, the Harris campaign aired an advertisement centered around Hinchcliffe’s “comedy” to motivate them to vote on Election Day. Following the rally at Madison Square Garden, Harris’ running-mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, took to social media to remind Puerto Rican voters, especially those in battleground states, “You’ve gotta vote.”

The use of Hinchcliffe’s insensitive comedy routine in a rally for the former president widens the gap between the Republican Party and Latino voters. Though the impact (or lack thereof) on the outcome of the election may be difficult to measure, Hinchcliffe’s rhetoric did inspire dialogue about the importance of voting.