The Trump campaign continues to backtrack after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” at Donald Trump’s New York City rally Sunday. “It’s America and Americans love comedy and it’s an expression of First Amendment rights,” campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on NewsNation Monday morning. “But look, it was a joke that was done in poor taste. And obviously the joke by this comedian does not reflect the views of President Trump or our campaign—and the crowd last night when you were in the room understood that.” Leavitt went on to claim the crowd at Madison Square Garden was “one of the most diverse crowds President Trump has ever seen,” and that attendees “care more about the truth that President Trump shared on that stage than one flat joke from a comedian.” The denouncement comes after multiple Republicans spoke out against Hinchcliffe’s comments—while Hinchliffe defended his set on X after the rally. “These people have no sense of humor,” he said of Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who livestreamed their reactions to the rally.
