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Trump pays for insulting Puerto Rico

Trump pays for insulting Puerto Rico

On Sunday, Donald Trump and his supporters made their closing argument at a rally in Madison Square Garden in New York. It all started with offensive, identity-based jokes straight out of the 80s; continued to address a black man regarding a watermelon; and at one point implied that Kamala Harris, the US vice president, was a sex worker. Along the way, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic and xenophobic comments poured in, including a gem from Trump adviser Stephen Miller: “America is only for Americans and Americans.”

The colorful event included a few choice lines about Latinos from Tony Hinchcliffe, the comedian chosen by the Trump campaign to open the event. Hinchcliffe, who is also a podcaster, began with juvenile sex jokes about Latinos: “They love having babies,” before moving on to describe Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”

As a Nuyorica—as New Yorkers of the Puerto Rican diaspora affectionately call themselves—I react strongly to any mention of the island and my people. And little has been said about much of this campaign. So it was a surprise to see that on the same day that Hinchcliffe spoke at Madison Square Garden, Vice President Harris released a video outlining her plan for Puerto Rico and visited a Puerto Rican restaurant while campaigning in Philadelphia.

The coincidence was fortuitous as it provided Puerto Ricans with real-time split screen. Many saw Harris trying to study the problems of Puerto Ricans and solve them; Trump has shown that he is only willing to welcome Latinos into his tent if they are complicit in his racist worldview. The language used at Trump’s rally “was so simple, and it really showed how they really felt,” said Paola Ramos, author Defectors: The Rise of the Latin American Far Right and What It Means for Americatold me.

After receiving backlash for the “trash island” comment, the Trump campaign tried to distance itself. (As everyone knows, Harris is responsible for everything the people around her do, but Trump is innocent even of the things he was found guilty of.) “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump,” campaign spokesman. said.

No matter how much the campaign tries to disavow Hinchcliffe’s joke, it can’t escape the fact that the language only added to the sense of contempt Puerto Ricans already felt from Trump. The insult gave Democrats the perfect opportunity to remind Latino voters — and Puerto Ricans in particular — of something Harris raised in her video: Trump’s anemic and insulting response to the islanders after Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Hurricane Harvey had struck Texas a month earlier; there, FEMA approved $142 million for personal assistance to hurricane victims over nine days. Nine days after Maria, FEMA approved only $6.2 million for Puerto Ricans. Texas had many more helicopters, food, water and government personnel. When then-President Trump finally visited the hurricane-ravaged island—nearly two weeks after the hurricane had passed—he told residents they were lucky they had not experienced “a real disaster like Katrina,” and instead of more significant relief events, abandoned rolls of paper towels to the crowd at a media event.

This year, Puerto Rican celebrities including Marc Anthony have already worked to remind voters of all this by campaigning for Harris. After Sunday’s rally, Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez shared videos of Harris and announced they were voting for her. Lopez will appear with Harris Tomorrow.

But none of these endorsements matter as much as Bad Bunny’s. His fan base is huge and young, comprising both men and women. And unlike many stars who shy away from bringing politics into their platforms, San Benito, as his fans call him, has made politics, and especially the politics of colonialism, a central element of his art. He has been active ahead of Puerto Rico’s gubernatorial elections, which will also take place on November 5. billboards arguing that a vote for the ruling party is a vote for corruption. His opinion carries weight.

For months, as celebrities like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé supported Harris, I heard people asking where Bad Bunny was. Why doesn’t Bad Bunny help Harris? The answer seemed obvious to me: despite the fact that Bad Bunny is a US citizen and a global superstar, he cannot vote in presidential elections.

Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican, and disenfranchisement is just one of many inequalities that define the islanders’ second-class citizenship. But even if Puerto Ricans can’t vote, they can influence the diaspora on the mainland that can. And that’s what Bad Bunny does.

After the Trump rally, Bad Bunny shared a snippet of Harris’ video about Puerto Rico several times with his 45.7 million Instagram followers. In particular, he chose a passage in which Harris says, “There is so much at stake in this election for the voters of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico,” and where she reminds people of Trump throwing paper towels to island residents after the hurricane.

Harris plan as Puerto Rico envisions creating what it calls an “opportunity economy” on the island by strengthening the energy grid, providing clean energy credits to islanders, as well as developing affordable housing, spurring job creation, and investing in Puerto Rican entrepreneurs and creators, among a number other major initiatives. Her plan noticeably avoids serious colonial issues, such as repealing the Jones Act, a 100-year tariff on produce and goods shipped to the island that is estimated to be costing residents $692 million per year. It also does not apply to acceptance Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act— a bill sponsored by Representatives Nydia Velazquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that would allow islanders to vote on Puerto Rico’s status as a commonwealth. But Harris’ plan does offer thoughtful solutions to many of the problems that have plagued the island, especially in recent years, which is more than anyone can say about Trump.

The more the phrase “floating trash” is repeated – on television and radio – the more irritated Puerto Ricans become. There are now more Puerto Ricans living on the mainland than on the island. Ironically, one result of the failed response to Maria was the migration of thousands of islanders – many of them to swing states such as Pennsylvania, where there are now almost half a million Residents of Puerto Rico. Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans now also live in Georgia and Arizona. Democratic strategist Jose Parra said Hill that what happened in Madison Square Garden could have a real impact: “If Pennsylvania swings toward the Democrats, I think you can look back on it as a turning point.”

Much has been made about Trump’s growing support among Latinos, and the insult is unlikely to sway any of his true believers. But it could motivate some Latinos who had been planning to delay the election. Victor Martinez, owner of a local Spanish-language radio station in Pennsylvania, said Politician that a significant portion of the local community objected to the vote at all. The Trump rally changed that. “If we weren’t engaged before, we’re all paying attention to it now.” He said.

Puerto Ricans love their island – even those who have never had the opportunity to visit there. Yes, there are stunning beaches, lush green mountains and the sounds of coca. But most of all we love the warmth of our culture: the music, the dance, the food, the art, our people. It is a place that calls us when we are far away and embraces us when we return home. The joke wasn’t just an insult; it was a reminder of the neglect and disrespect for this place and its people for decades by the United States government, especially during the Trump administration.

Once, when Bad Bunny was asked about his political activities, he said, “I don’t get involved in politics; politics penetrates my life because it affects my country, because it affects Puerto Rico.”