As we all have heard by now, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, at the Madison Square Garden Trump presidential rally, referred to Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage.” Trump’s team has since claimed “the joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.” This cowardly response should not end the firestorm. Trump’s team knew of the litany of racist rants throughout the rally, as they were vetted before the event. Two days later, Trump, instead of rejecting the xenophobic reference, incredulously and foolishly called the New York City rally a “lovefest.”
One would think the Trump is well aware of the political fallout of alienating a key voter demographic in swing states such as Pennsylvania (where the polls show a tied race), and perhaps even Florida. Could it be, however, that attacking Puerto Rico and its people doesn’t lead to negative consequences? Sadly, it is not the first time that the Trump MAGA universe sees Puerto Rico as a less-than-equal part of the United States. In 2017, after Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria, Trump withheld help from the island, alleging that it was logistically difficult to ship aid to Puerto Rico and that, anyway, most of it would end up in the hands of corrupt politicians.
And lest not forget Trump’s infamous photo op visit to the island in the wake of the catastrophic damage caused by the hurricane, when he jokingly tossed rolls of paper towels to an adoring crowd and minimized the rising death toll. At the same time, he was remarking to aides that he would prefer not to send aid to the hard-hit island.
In 2019, Trump mused about acquiring Greenland from Denmark, perhaps by offering Puerto Rico in exchange for it, as if the island and its people were some sort of bargaining chip that he could use as he saw fit. If Tony Hinchcliffe felt comfortable telling a crass joke at the expense of the Puerto Rican people, it is because Puerto Rico has never commanded any respect from Trump himself.
The U.S. constitutional structure only serves to promote relegating Puerto Rico and its people to a less-than-equal status. In a series of decisions known as the Insular Cases, Puerto Rico and its people are viewed as “Foreign in a Domestic Sense.” This paradoxical legal description serves to keep Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans as colonial subjects—effectively war booty stemming from the Spanish American War of 1898—with subordinate rights than all other U.S. citizens. As a result, the residents of Puerto Rico despite being U.S. citizens, do not share equal rights under the U.S. Constitution. For instance, Puerto Rico residents have no representation in Congress and do not receive government largess in the same fashion as U.S. citizens on the mainland. Because of the “shameful” Insular Cases, as conservative Supreme Justice Neil Gorsuch recently described them, the residents of Puerto Rico cannot vote in presidential elections despite being U.S. citizens.
As so often with Trump, his acolytes will likely end up paying the price for his excesses. Republican leaders in Pennsylvania and Florida (like Sen. Rick Scott) realize that their political careers can be imperiled by alienating the Puerto Rican and Latinx vote, so they quickly put some distance between Mr. Hinchcliffe and themselves. Ironically, these same Republican leaders that now so vigorously defend Puerto Ricans have largely looked the other way when Trump has insulted and humiliated Puerto Ricans, Latinos, and people of color in general. They are holding on to the tail of a tiger and they cannot let go, nor can they stop the creature from causing more damage. And that is the sad situation of the current GOP leadership: life is hard with Trump, but they can’t live without him either.
As for Puerto Ricans, and the Latinx community in general, we have learned to take the blows in stride. It is not the first time that racist white men have sought to demean our people, and unfortunately it won’t be the last. But millions of Puerto Ricans as well as other members of the Latinx community living in the mainland can express their condemnation of such racist comments on November 5th.
Trump has yet to strongly condemn the racism in Madison Square Garden, and it’s likely that he never will. But on November 5th, the thunderous voices of Puerto Rican voters and the Latinx community in the U.S. mainland will be heard. It may not be the last time our people are taken for granted and insulted, but we recognize xenophobic nativists for what they are, and now it’s past time for us to show them the power of our votes. In an ultimate twist of irony, a Puerto Rican political storm may end sinking Trump’s reelection chances.