Will Trump Rally Joke Alienate Puerto Rican Voters in Swing States?

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" at Donald Trump's rally in Madison Square Garden. Will it cost Trump the election?

Yes It Will: Politico (Lean Left bias) made the case that "fallout" from the comment could cost Trump the state of Pennsylvania, home to an estimated 472,000 people of Puerto Rican origin, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It interviewed Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania who described the population as newly energized against Trump. Politico also mentioned Trump's 2017 visit to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, during which he called the island "dirty" and "[tossed] paper towels to survivors," and called Bad Bunny's endorsement of Kamala Harris following the backlash a potential "game changer." BBC (Center) hit many of the same beats as Politico, conducting its own interviews of Puerto Rican Pennsylvanians. It also mentioned a "new policy platform for Puerto Rico" announced by Harris, "promising economic development and improved disaster relief."

No It Won't: The Washington Examiner (Lean Right) argued the "flippant" joke would not make a significant dent in Trump's support among Puerto Ricans. It quoted a pollster who said he had seen "zero change" in polls of Latinos in Pennsylvania since the joke. Washington Examiner said the Harris campaign was "desperate for a vote-moving issue in the final week before Election Day" and listed Trump's gains among Latinos since 2020 as evidence "the Democrats’ traditional hold on Hispanic people" is slipping away.