Minnesota Democratic lawmaker with ties to Puerto Rico slams Trump rally comedian’s remarks

Minnesota’s only lawmaker of Puerto Rican descent slammed former President Trump’s campaign over racist remarks made at a Madison Square Garden rally Sunday night.

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, as a “floating island of garbage,” during his set at the campaign event in New York.

State DFL Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega said in an interview Monday the comedian’s comments weren’t shocking but should serve as “a wake-up call” for Puerto Ricans, Latinos and every other marginalized group to recognize the messaging of Trump’s campaign.

“Whether it’s Minnesota, whether it’s Pennsylvania, whether it’s Ohio, this is the reality of how Project 2025 is moving. The only way to stop it is by getting out to vote and voting against the maltreatment of Puerto Ricans, of humanity, of everyone,” Pérez-Vega said.

A senior Trump campaign advisor told the Washington Post that Hinchcliffe’s “joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

Pérez-Vega, whose family includes multiple Puerto Rican veterans who fought in Normandy during World War II and the Vietnam War, doesn’t buy it.

“The response from their campaign is that that wasn’t directly from Trump or JD Vance. Those things are monitored and scripted and approved. They use words instead of paper towels now,” she said, referencing a 2017 incident when then president Trump tossed rolls of paper towels into a crowd of survivors shortly after Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is Puerto Rican, discussed Hinchcliffe’s comments as they played Madden during a Twitch livestream Sunday.

“Who is that jackwad?” Walz said.

Both Walz and Ocasio-Cortez said they hope every Puerto Rican in battleground states like Pennsylvania gets a chance to see the clip.

“Know that that’s what they think about you,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

The disparaging comments also serve as an energizer to get out and mobilize people in the coming days, Pérez-Vega said.

“It’s been a crazy almost 24 hours,” she said. “I’m grateful for folks who have been speaking up that are Puerto Rican or not Puerto Rican. It’s very helpful to process, to say that we’re in solidarity, to make change happen and not go back.”