Trump denies knowing the comedian who told the crude joke about Puerto Rico

Former President Trump said he has “no idea” who comedian Tony Hinchcliffe is after the comic caused a firestorm of controversy over the weekend during his rally on a New York mall Madison Square Gardencalling Puerto Rico a “floating garbage island.”

“I have no idea who he is. Someone said there was such a comedian joked about Puerto Rico or something. And I have no idea who it was. I’ve never seen him. I’ve never heard of him and I don’t want to hear about him. But I have no idea,” Trump told “Hannity” in the interview, which will air Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. “They send in a comedian, which is what everyone does, you throw out comedians, you don’t test them and you go crazy. It’s nobody’s fault. But someone said bad things.”

Hinchcliffe faced a wave of condemnation and criticism from both sides of the political spectrum, including from Florida Republican senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio and Florida representatives Carlos Gimenez and María Elvira Salazar.

American comedian Tony Hinchcliffe speaks during a campaign rally for former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York, October 27, 2024. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Danielle Alvarez, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the Puerto Rican joke “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

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Trump doubled down on his knowledge of Hinchcliffe, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity: “Now what they’ve done is they’ve taken someone who has nothing to do with the party, has nothing to do with us, said something and they’re trying to make would be a big deal, but I don’t know who it is.

“I don’t even know who hired him, and I can’t imagine it’s a big deal. “I have done more for Puerto Rico than any president that has ever been,” Trump said.

Former President Trump talks to Fox News host Sean Hannity. ((Screenshot/Hannity))

Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny shared the campaign Vice President Kamala Harris’ video to her millions of Instagram followers after making a thoughtless joke about her plans for the US territory.

The Harris-Walz campaign took aim at Trump for his administration’s “failed” preparation and response Hurricane Maria in 2017, which devastated the island and killed thousands of people.

“Trump did not acknowledge the scale of suffering Puerto Ricans suffered – instead, he patted himself on the back and lied about the death toll while most of Puerto Rico lived without clean water and electricity. Instead of providing significant assistance to Puerto Ricans, he visited the island to throw paper towels into the crowd,” it reads in part four-page campaign plan for Puerto Rico.

Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center on October 27, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Popular Puerto Rican rapper and singer Don Omarwho boasts millions of followers on his social media platforms, announced Tuesday that he is supporting Harris.

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“Puerto Rico is my homeland and my identity. Today, more than ever, I proudly raise the flag of my island. Hearing such racist and disparaging words directed at my home and Latinos breaks my heart. “Trump has shown us this time and time again: what he thinks of us, and the thought of him and his administration back in power is deeply disturbing,” he added. he wrote in a post on Xformerly Twitter.

Don Omar performs at the Coca-Cola Coliseum on March 15, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Jeremychanphotography/Getty Images)

Norberto Dominguez, district captain of the local Democratic Party in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which is home to a large Puerto Rican population, he told Politico that Hinchcliffe’s comments “spread like wildfire through the community.”

“It’s not the smartest thing to insult people — a large group of voters in a swing state — and then go to their homes and ask for votes,” Dominguez said.

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Trump is scheduled to hold a campaign rally at the PPL Center in Allentown on Tuesday evening.