Trump’s rally on Tuesday will be held in the swing state stronghold of Puerto Rico.

After making derogatory comments about Puerto Ricans at a rally over the weekend, former President Donald Trump is holding a campaign stop in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a city with one of the largest Puerto Rican populations in the state.

On Tuesday, Trump will hold a rally at the PPL Center in downtown Allentown, a majority Latino city. The arena is located on the border of the 6th Ward, a Latino neighborhood that is also a major community center for Puerto Rican culture in the Lehigh Valley region.

The rally was planned long before Sunday’s rally at Madison Square Garden, at which comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”

The Republican candidate responded to Hinchcliffe’s performance in Puerto Rico on Tuesday, according to a report ABC. Trump distanced himself from the comedian but did not condemn his comments.

“I don’t know him, someone put him there. I don’t know who he is,” Trump said.

Viana Rodriguez, deputy director for Latino relations at the Trump campaign, spoke about this. Newsweek that Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania and across the country are “concerned about “Ke Mala” Kamala’s lack of urgency in finding the hundreds of thousands of children missing in our country and her inaction in rebuilding Puerto Rico’s infrastructure.”

“Thanks to President Trump’s plans to cut taxes, end inflation and stop the flow of illegal immigrants at the southern border, he has more support from the Latino community than anyone else. republican in recent history,” Rodriguez said. “Kamala Harris made four years of empty promises, leaving Puerto Rico in the dark – and she’s asking for four more years. Puerto Ricans know this Kamala Harris “has destroyed our economy, our southern border and our standing on the world stage, but President Trump will fix it.”

She did not respond to a question about whether the campaign is seeking to win back Puerto Rican voters in Allentown today.

Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., was also in Allentown on Monday for a get-out-the-vote event.

“It’s not the smartest thing to do to offend people – a large group of voters here in a swing state – and then go to their house and ask for votes,” said Norberto Dominguez, a precinct manager for the local Democratic Party in Allentown. POLICY.

The joke, which Hinchcliffe said was taken out of context, was made during a section of his speech on Latinos. “Where are my proud Latinos tonight?” he said, before launching into a series of jokes about immigration and the Texas-Mexico border. “Guys, do you understand what I mean? It’s wide open, there are so many of them,” he said.

“There is literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico? Hinchcliffe said, causing murmurs and distracted giggling from the crowd.

In an email to NewsweekTrump senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or his campaign.”

The clip went viral on social media with famous Puerto Rican celebrities such as the rapper. Bad Bunny Instead, they are signaling their support for Vice President Kamala Harris.

El Nuevo DiaPuerto Rico’s main news outlet endorsed Harris in its release Tuesday.

“Puerto Rico has an ally in Kamala Harris,” the newspaper’s front page read.

Several top republicans also condemned Hinchcliffe’s comments. Peter Navarroformer member of the Trump administration and New York Republican Party representative Mike Lawler both called Hinchcliffe for his “inappropriate rhetoric.” Local Pennsylvania officials also told news outlets they were unhappy with the comments made on Sunday.

Angel Cintron, Puerto Rico Republican Party chair, said Hugando Pelota Dura that he will not vote for Trump unless he apologizes directly to Puerto Ricans for remarks made at his rally.

(EXCLUSIVE) Puerto Rican Republican Party President Angel Cintron said he did not vote for presidential candidate Donald Trump until he was indicted in Puerto Rico.

This happened when we lived in New York, in Madison… pic.twitter.com/6ltFW0L7hr

— Jugando Pelota Dura (@JugandoPelotaPR) October 29, 2024

POLITICO reported that a nonpartisan group in Puerto Rico has prepared a letter urging its members to oppose Trump in next week’s election. The publication also reported that some Puerto Rican voters plan to protest Trump rally in Allentown on Tuesday.

“If we weren’t engaged before, we’re all paying attention now,” Victor Martinez, an Allentown resident who owns a Spanish-language radio station, told POLITICO.

In 2020, Lehigh County, which includes Allentown, went to the president. Joe Biden and the Harris campaign, which received 53.05 percent (185,655 votes). Trump received 45.47 percent of the vote.

Pennsylvania is a critical swing state with 19 Electoral College votes. With just a few tens of thousands of votes deciding the state’s 2020 elections, backlash from a community of half a million voters in Pennsylvania alone could mean the difference between victory and defeat on Election Night.

As of October 29, FiveThirtyEight’s aggregate poll shows the two candidates “tied” in Pennsylvania, with Trump receiving 47.9 percent of the vote and Harris 47.7 percent. Biden won Pennsylvania overall by the smallest margin ever for a Democratic presidential candidate, 1.17 percent.

There is a week left until Election Day. Follow Newsweek’s live blog for the latest news. latest updates.

Update: 10/29/24 1:05 pm ET: This article has been updated with additional information.