Bad Bunny was the most played artist on Spotify each year from 2020 to 2022.Image: trapezoid
During Donald Trump's appearance at New York's Madison Square Garden, a previous speaker made a questionable joke about the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. The two Latin superstars responded immediately.
If Donald Trump’s rhetoric during his campaign appearances can be described as relatively “tame” compared to speakers who came before him, those speakers did dig into their own offensive rhetoric.
Or take comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who's in the racist box: The 40-year-old is known for his comedic rants, which often include politically incorrect jokes, and he insulted the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico as “trash “Island”.
“Joke” in wording:
“There's a lot going on. I don't know if you know this, but there's literally a floating island made of trash in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it's called Puerto Rico.”
“There's a lot going on. I don't know if you know this, but there's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it's called Puerto Rico.” pic.twitter.com/IXbXqDijyU
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 27, 2024
The joke itself may seem tasteless, but it's the context that makes the whole thing concerning: Donald Trump repeatedly denigrated Latin American immigrants, particularly those from the Caribbean, during his campaign, calling them “Scum” and describe and generalize that they are either murderers, rapists, or psychopaths.
At a rally at New York's Madison Square Garden, Trump once again issued harsh criticisms of immigrants – earning applause from the crowd:
Puerto Rican jokes at the event sparked outrage in the Latino community. Although residents of the U.S. territory cannot vote, many U.S. citizens originally from the island are also eligible to vote. In addition, in the extremely important swing state of Pennsylvania, approximately 500,000 Puerto Ricans are indigenous to the state.
As soon as this statement came out, it also aroused reactions from celebrities. Shortly after the announcement, Bad Bunny, a Latin star from Puerto Rico, posted a video of Kamala Harris talking about Trump's commitment to Puerto Rico during the 2017 hurricanes.
“He abandoned the island after two consecutive devastating hurricanes and tried to block aid, offering nothing but tissues and insults.”
Harris in Bad Bunny video
Trump was widely criticized at the time for his handling of the aftermath of the hurricane. Among other things, because during subsequent visits to the island, he threw relief supplies such as paper towels at residents, which was sometimes considered inappropriate and disrespectful.
As one of Harris' agents told CNN, “Bad Bunny” did not want his statement to be understood as a formal call to vote for Harris. However, he himself would vote for Harris because of her commitment to Puerto Rico.
“Bad Bunny” has long been at the top of the list of celebrities the Harris campaign hopes to woo, USA Network further reported. Bad Bunny is one of the most popular musicians in the world and has a huge influence, especially on the Latino community in the United States, which is extremely important for elections. Recent reports suggest they are more interested in Trump.
Luis Fonsi also voted for Kamala Harris.Photo credit: Eric Jamison/Invision/AP/Invision
In addition to Bad Bunny, another Puerto Rican-born artist, “Despacito” singer Luis Fonsi, also expressed his disdain for jokes about his home country.
Fonsi wrote on Instagram that it's normal to have different opinions and he respects everyone who thinks differently. But the joke is clearly about racism. He loves comedy roasts, but this is far from that. Fonsi also made it clear in his story that he would be voting for Harris.
Image: Luis Fonsi Insta
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