Baltimore-area Puerto Rican leaders and residents said Monday they are insulted and offended by comments made by a speaker at a rally for former President Donald Trump Sunday night in New York.

During the rally, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, speaking at Madison Square Garden, referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” A senior Trump campaign adviser later distanced the former president from Hinchcliffe’s remarks, saying “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

Christina Delgado, founder and creative director of Tola’s Room, a Puerto Rican home museum and cultural space in Belair-Edison, said she was not surprised at the remarks.

“For him to make a joke like that, it’s very distasteful,” Delgado said, adding that Puerto Rico is “one of the most beautiful places on earth,” but in her opinion, any systemic issues on the island are the result of the United States, which counts Puerto Rico as one of its territories.

Baltimore City Councilwoman Odette Ramos agreed, saying she and many other Puerto Ricans still remember how Trump handled Hurricane Maria in 2017, which devastated the island, killed thousands and left many without any utilities for years.

“The whole thing was totally insulting,” said Ramos about the rally, but who also agreed that the comments were “par for the course.” She said her aunt lives on the island and went without power for a year and half in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

The Trump administration drew criticism from Puerto Rican officials and residents for its response to the emergency at the time”. Ramos said, “If he was expecting our vote, he’s not gonna get it.”

Jaime Contreras, executive vice president of 32BJ SEIU, which says it is the nation’s largest property service workers’ union, agreed, saying in a statement: “Singling out and endangering an ethnic group is un-American and beneath the dignity of the Presidential office. Latinos, who stand united with our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters, will keep knocking on doors and do whatever it takes to make our voices heard on Election Day!”

Keymi Rivera, a Puerto Rican who now lives in Glen Burnie, told The Sun she does not plan to vote for either major political party’s candidate for president. When asked about the Trump campaign’s attempt to distance itself from Hinchcliffe, she said, “We all know that’s B.S.”

Asked the same question, Delgado said, “Then why would he be on the podium? That doesn’t make sense.”

Delgado wanted to emphasize that the disparaging comments only underlined the importance of organizations that work to “uplift the diaspora and the island.” She highlighted DMV-area organizations Semilla Cultural, Cultura Plenera and national advocacy organization Boricuas Unidos en la Diaspora (BUD).

For his part, Hinchcliffe has defended his remarks on X, responding to a post from the Harris campaign where vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned his words.

“These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist,” Hinchcliffe wrote. “I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set. I’m a comedian Tim…might be time to change your tampon.”

Hinchcliffe also targeted Black and Jewish Americans with his jokes, at one point referring to Black Americans carving watermelons instead of pumpkins for Halloween.

Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.