Updated October 28, 2024 at 22:36 PM ET
Vice President Harris was promoting a new pledge to boost Puerto Rico’s economy in Philadelphia on Sunday — contrasting her approach with that of former President Donald Trump — when her message got some unexpected traction thanks to her opponent’s rally in New York.
A comedian warming up the crowd at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” — drawing outrage from Boricuas far and wide, and boosting support for Harris’ message.
Megastar Bad Bunny posted Harris’ video message pledging to work to create more jobs on the island and rebuild its rickety power grid to his 45 million Instagram followers, and other Puerto Rican artists followed suit.
Trump's campaign has distanced itself from the joke, one of several offensive lines from his act. Trump himself did not yet directly comment on it at two campaign appearances in Georgia on Monday.
But speaking from Wausau, Wisconsin, Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance dismissed the controversy.
"The way that we unite the country is to talk about the issues the American people care the most about," Vance told reporters, saying he had heard about the offensive material but hadn't seen it.
"I'm not going to comment on the specifics of the joke, but I think that we have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America — I'm so over it," Vance said.
Other Republicans similarly sought to distance Trump from the remark.
"Puerto Rico isn’t garbage, it’s home to fellow American citizens who have made tremendous contributions to our country," wrote Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in a post on X. "I understand why some people were offended by a comedians jokes last night. But those weren’t Trump’s words. They were jokes by an insult comic who offends virtually everyone, all the time….. because that is what insult comedians do."
The 'joke' could have political impact in a key state
Puerto Ricans living on the island don’t get to vote in the presidential election. But Boricuas living on the mainland do — and in Pennsylvania, a pivotal state in this year’s race, they wield significant clout.
According to UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute, about 580,000 Latinos in Pennsylvania can vote in this election — and most of them are Puerto Rican.
Unidos US Action Fund said it would work to amplify the issue in the swing states Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada as it works to get out the Latino vote.
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"This level of disrespect toward Puerto Ricans and Latinos at large is unconscionable and, more importantly, a reminder that when people show you who they are, believe them," said Rafael Collazo, executive director of the group, in a statement.
After Hurricane Maria hit the island in 2017, Trump questioned the death toll and fought with San Juan’s mayor over the federal response to the disaster. During a visit to the island after the storm, he infamously threw rolls of paper towels into a group of people at a church collecting supplies.
On Monday, the Harris campaign cut a new television ad with the comedian's comments superimposed over images of the island after 2017's Hurricane Maria and footage of Trump throwing rolls of paper towels into a group of people at a church collecting supplies.
Harris told reporters she was proud to have the support of Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez, and said Trump's rally was an example of how he has divided the country.
"Donald Trump spends full time trying to have Americans point their finger at each other, fans the fuel of hate and division. And that’s why people are exhausted with him," Harris said.
It was a message that former President Barack Obama echoed at a rally for Harris in Philadelphia, as he decried the “island of garbage” line from the MSG rally.
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