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

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

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

“I will never forget what Donald Trump did and didn't 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 in 2017 Trump drew criticism when he visited the island to survey the damage and threw paper towels into a crowd, a gesture many found insensitive.

“He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes, and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults,” Harris said.

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

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

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

“Look, it was a comedian who made a tasteless joke,” Leavitt said. “Obviously, this joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or our campaign. And I find it sad that the media is picking up on a joke made by a comedian rather than the truths shared by the phenomenal speaker list we had.”

Latino congressional leaders on Monday rejected Hinchcliffe's comments at Trump's rally.

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

She added: “The shameful rhetoric from Donald Trump and his allies at Madison Square Garden – where Puerto Ricans, migrants and Democratic leaders were openly denigrated – is not only divisive but dangerous.”

Hinchcliffe defended his comments after the rally and mocked vice presidential candidate Tim Walz's criticism of his Puerto Rican comments in a video with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

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

Hinchcliffe added that he loved and vacationed in Puerto Rico and Hinchcliffe, saying he made fun of everyone. “Look at the whole set,” he wrote.

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

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

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

Sunday's controversy at Madison Square Garden came as Democrats and Republicans vied for Puerto Rican votes in key battleground states. About half a million Puerto Ricans live in Pennsylvania 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's Restaurant, a casual family-style Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia, to promote her “Puerto Rico Opportunity Economics Task Force.” The plan calls for modernizing the island's energy grid, reducing housing costs and promoting economic opportunities.

“It's about giving people access to opportunity, knowing that while people in all communities – in our community – want a job, they want to be able to build wealth,” Harris told the crowd. “They want to be able to build generational wealth, home ownership and small business growth.”

Harris condemned Trump's rally as “stoking division in the country.” Asked about Puerto Rico's comments Monday morning, Harris Pool reportedly said, “It's more similar and perhaps more vibrant than usual.”

“That’s why people are exhausted by him,” Harris said.