A comedian at a Donald Trump rally called Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash,” sparking angry reactions from Republicans and Democrats.

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe was among the stars who turned out for the event at Madison Square Garden in New York. He also made a number of jokes that were based on racist stereotypes.

A Trump adviser distanced the Republican from the Puerto Rico joke, which was also denounced by Trump's Democratic rival Kamala Harris. Harris herself was the target of another Trump warm-up speaker who also sparked controversy.

There was a stir when one of the world's top Latino stars, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, endorsed Harris for president.

In his joke, Mr Hinchcliffe, who goes by Kill Tony, said: “There’s a lot going on. I don't know if you know this, but right now there's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean.” I think it's called Puerto Rico.

Two Republicans in the state of Florida, which has a prominent Puerto Rican population, were among those who called out the joke and joined Democrats.

U.S. Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar wrote on X that she was “disgusted” by the “racist comment.” She said it does not “reflect the values ​​of the Republican Party,” referring to the Republican Party and pointing to the thousands of Puerto Ricans who have served in the military.

U.S. Senator Rick Scott said in his own post on He added that “Puerto Ricans are great people and great Americans.”

Puerto Rico is a US island territory in the Caribbean. Its residents are not allowed to vote in US presidential elections, but there is a large diaspora throughout the US that can do so.

Mr Hinchcliffe also said that Latinos “loved having babies” and made a comment about black people and watermelons – a reference to a racist phrase.

The other speakers of the evening caused controversy with their own comments. David Rem, a childhood friend of Trump, called Harris “the devil” and “the Antichrist.”

And Trump's former lawyer Rudy Giuliani falsely claimed that the Democratic candidate was “on the side of the terrorists” in the Gaza conflict.

Although much of the focus was on comments from his guest speakers, Trump took the opportunity to announce a plan for tax credits for those caring for a parent or loved one. “It’s time for them to be recognized,” he said.

He also reiterated plans for a mass deportation of illegal immigrants and spoke of his desire to “save” places that had been “invaded and conquered” by “evil and bloodthirsty criminals.”

The Harris campaign said the language at the rally was “divisive and demeaning.”

Earlier Sunday, Harris unveiled policies aimed at helping the people of Puerto Rico — and received support from Jennifer Lopez, who has Puerto Rican parents, as well as Bad Bunny. Numerous other well-known personalities have already given her their support.

Bad Bunny has posted several videos in which Harris talks about the island, her ideas for helping residents and her attacks on how Trump handled Hurricane Maria as president when the deadly storm killed nearly 3,000 people there in 2017 .

The past seven years have seen an exodus from the island, with Puerto Ricans moving to the U.S. mainland, including Florida and swing states like North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Puerto Ricans are now reportedly the second largest Latino subgroup in these states.

Bad Bunny's comments appeared to be pre-planned and he did not address Mr Hinchcliffe's comments. But fellow Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin did so by telling his fans, “This is what they think about us” and urging them to vote for Harris.

According to the Pew Research Center, about 36 million Hispanic voters are eligible to vote this year. They have generally been an important part of the Democratic coalition, but Republicans have eroded that support.

Mr Hinchcliffe was among a number of speakers at Trump's rally, including tech billionaire Elon Musk and former star wrestler Hulk Hogan, who ripped off a T-shirt during his speech. Trump was also joined by his wife Melania, who has made very few campaign appearances so far.

Mike Shapiro, a colorfully dressed Trump supporter traveling to New York from New Jersey, said he arrived at 12:50 a.m. local time (04:50 GMT) on Sunday to secure his spot at the rally.

“I hear people saying he’s a fascist, fascist, racist, racist, racist,” Shapiro said. “But I see a lot of diversity. I see everyone, all nationalities. And even here I met a lot of blacks, a lot of Latinos, a lot of Asians. The tide is changing a little.”

Others who traveled to the event in New York said they were less worried about the rhetoric and more interested in the policies and implications for their lives.

“He holds rallies where people don't expect him to hold rallies because I think more people – people who didn't like him – see that Donald Trump was a good president,” said Mike Boatman, who said, it will be his 18th Trump Rally.

“They’ve had four years of Trump and four years of Biden, and Kamala is just an extension of Biden, and they can compare and know when they were better.”

Madison Square Garden, near the heart of the city, is one of the most famous venues in the world. Depending on the event, it seats around 20,000 and is home to the NBA basketball team New York Knicks and the NHL ice hockey team New York Rangers.

It's also in Trump's hometown. But some thought it was an odd choice for Trump's final full week of campaigning. New York is a solid blue state and will not be decisive in the race for the White House.

But the rally could provide an influx of campaign cash. The Trump campaign sold tickets for an “Ultra Maga Experience” at the venue for almost $1 million (£770,000) per person. The rally could also help Republican candidates in several hotly contested U.S. House elections in the region.

Republicans enjoyed major success in some key swing districts in New York in the 2022 midterm elections – arguably helping them gain control of the lower chamber of Congress.

North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher breaks down the race for the White House in his weekly newsletter, US Election Unspun.

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