by Mick the Ram

When podcaster Tony Hinchcliffe took to the stage at Madison Square Gardens in a televised rally for Donald Trump’s campaign, it should have been part of a positive closing argument with the election around the corner.

Instead, his 11-minute set has turned the occasion into a massive political own goal, with a shocking choice of racially offensive comments and in particular his incredibly insulting remarkthat he dressed up as a “joke” suggesting that Puerto Rico is a “floating island of garbage”.

It will inevitably have a negative effect on the voting choices of those with heritage from the overseas territory and suddenly the Republicans are on the back-foot and have been forced into a period of damage-limitation, when they should be making a crucial final push.

Trump himself has made no comment which in itself is ill-advised, but the astonishing remarks from his running mate, JD Vance, could make all the difference, with him telling Americans that they “need to stop getting so offended”.

Angel M Cintrón, the chair of Puerto Rico’s Republican party, has threatened to withdraw his endorsement of Trump unless he personally apologises.

The Kamala Harris campaign have naturally leapt on the controversy seeking to capitalise by targeting undecided Latino communities and focusing on the deeply unsavoury quip.

There are seven key swing states that are literally neck-and-neck, so Hinchcliffe’s staggering choice

of material may well be the catalyst that catapults the election the way of the Democrats.

Ignored crowd response

Remarkably, Hinchcliffe had tried out the “joke” the previous evening at a Comedy Club and it had bombed badly, drawing just a few awkward chuckles. Undeterred, he told those in attendance of his intention to use it the following day, adding that he hoped it would get a much better reaction.

It is highly likely that he now wishes he had taken greater notice of his audience’s disapproval. Many of his other “jokes” were also in terribly bad taste, aimed at Black people, Jewish people and Palestinians.

Awkward response from Trump team

Trump somewhat awkwardly tried to claim he did not know who Hinchcliffe was, even though he had been vetted by his campaign team, who were forced to make a statement insisting that the joke “does not reflect the views of President Trump”.

However, they should have been aware the delivery was coming, as all speakers are asked to submit a draft of their speeches before they are loaded into a tele-prompter. Leaving some to conclude they totally failed to appreciate the offence the wisecrack would bring.

Double standards

It doesn’t seem to be in Trump’s make-up to take any responsibility when things go badly, instead he tends to distance himself, but on this occasion his stubborn streak could cost him dearly.

JD Vance certainly did not help the Republican cause, rather he added fuel to the flames by suggesting people “take a chill pill”.

This is the same man who became extremely troubled when accused of being “weird” and made outrageous claims about Haitian immigrants eating people’s pets earlier in the campaign.

Potential to swing vote to Harris

Puerto Ricans are US citizens. Those living within the US are therefore eligible to register and vote in the presidential election, and their population on the mainland is now 5.8 million, meaning that there are now more Puerto Ricans living in the States than in Puerto Rico itself, which has a population of 3.2 million.

The seven swing states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina; Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin are really well represented by Puerto Rican heritage, and the vast majority of those will be incensed, meaning they have the potential to place critical and possibly deciding votes in favour of Kamala Harris.