Bad Bunny supports Harris after offensive comments about Puerto Rico at Trump rally

Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny voiced his support for Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday, sharing a video clip of Harris’ plans for the island moments after a speaker at a Trump rally called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage.”

“There is so much at stake in this election for Puerto Rican voters and Puerto Rico,” Harris says in a video that Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, shared with his 45 million followers on Instagram.

“I will never forget what Donald Trump did and did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and competent leader,” Harris also said in the video, referring to then-President Trump’s response after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017. Trump received criticism when he visited the island to assess the damage and threw paper towels into a crowd, a gesture many considered insensitive.

“He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after two consecutive devastating hurricanes, and offered nothing but paper towels and insults,” Harris said.

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe sparked outrage Sunday when he made disparaging comments about Puerto Rico at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.

“I don’t know if you know this, but right now there is literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean,” Hinchcliffe said. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”

Hinchcliffe also referenced racist stereotypes in his speech. “These Latinos,” he said, “love having babies.”

On Monday, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt downplayed the comment about Puerto Rico on “Fox & Friends.”

“Look, it was a comedian who made a bad joke,” Leavitt said. “Obviously, that joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or our campaign. And I think it’s sad that the media focuses on a joke made by a comedian instead of the truths that were shared by the phenomenal lineup of speakers we had.”

On Monday, top Latino members of Congress rebuked Hinchcliffe’s comments at the Trump rally.

“Hateful rhetoric has real-world consequences,” Rep. Nanette Díaz Barragán (D-San Pedro), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said in a statement. “When political leaders, influencers, and those with a large social platform choose language that dehumanizes communities, families are hurt and hate crimes increase.”

He added: “The disgraceful rhetoric displayed by Donald Trump and his allies at Madison Square Garden, where Puerto Ricans, immigrants and Democratic leaders were openly vilified, is not only divisive but dangerous.”

Hinchcliffe defended his comments after the rally, mocking vice presidential candidate Tim Walz’s criticism of his comments about Puerto Rico in a video with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

“These people have no sense of humor,” Hinchcliffe wrote in

Adding that he loved Puerto Rico, Hinchcliffe and that he vacationed there, Hinchcliffe said he made fun of everyone. “Watch the whole show,” he wrote.

Other Puerto Rican stars who have previously expressed support for Harris, including singer-songwriter and actor Ricky Martin and singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, doubled down on their support.

“This is what they think of us,” wrote Ricky Martin in a publication to her 18 million followers on Instagram: “Vote for @kamalaharris.”

Lopez also shared Harris’ video on Sunday with her 250 million Instagram followers, along with stars, a clapping emoji and the Puerto Rican flag.

Sunday’s controversy at Madison Square Garden came as Democrats and Republicans compete for Puerto Rican votes in key states. Pennsylvania is home to approximately half a million Puerto Ricans and Philadelphia has the second largest Puerto Rican population in the United States after New York City.

On Sunday, Harris traveled to Freddy and Tony’sa casual, family-style Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia, to promote its “opportunity economy task force for Puerto Rico.” The plan includes modernizing the island’s energy grid, reducing housing costs and promoting economic opportunities.

“It’s about giving people access to opportunities, knowing that people in all communities, in our community, want, yes, a job, but they want to be able to create wealth,” Harris told the crowd. “They want to be able to create intergenerational wealth, home ownership, small business growth.”

Harris condemned Trump’s rally for “fueling division in the country.” Asked about Puerto Rico’s comments Monday morning, Harris said, according to lobbying reports, “it’s more of the same and perhaps more vivid than usual.”

“That’s why people are tired of him,” Harris said.

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