Marjorie Taylor Greene defends MSG comic’s racist jokes — praising him for bringing ‘these issues to the forefront’
Tony Hinchcliffe’s remarks have been widely condemned
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene defended comedian Tony Hinchcliffe on Monday after he was widely criticized for making racist jokes at a Trump rally over the weekend at Madison Square Garden.
During his set, Hinchcliffe used racist and stereotypical tropes to talk about Black people, Jews, Palestinians, and Latinos, and compared Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage.”
In a message on X on Monday, Greene praised Hinchliffe, arguing the comic brought attention to waste management issues on the island, and attached what appeared to be a vague Google AI summary of the search “waste management problem Puerto Rico” as evidence.
“Also, a 2024 federal audit report showed that less than 10% of more than $23 billion in available federal funds have been spent in Puerto Rico under the Biden Harris administration,” Greene wrote of the comedian’s set, which did not contain any discussion of Puerto Rico beyond the brief insult.
“They don’t care about Puerto Rico and neither do Democrat activists in the media as they’ve reported many times about the problems Puerto Rico faces,” Greene added. “It took a comedian to force these issues to the forefront.”
The audit Greene refers to indeed does find that disaster aid has been slow to reach the U.S. territory during the Biden years, but also describes funds still languishing intended for disasters that occured in 2017, at the outset of the Trump administration.
While Greene may support Hinchcliffe, the comedian’s routine has been widely criticized as offensive.
The Trump campaign has said the joke about Puerto Rico “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” while Puerto Rican artist Luis Fonsi said the joke was “racist” and showed “these people have no respect for us and yet they want our vote.”
Republican officials are among those slamming Hinchcliffe’s jokes about Puerto Rico.
“Disgusted by @TonyHinchcliffe’s racist comment calling Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage,’” GOP Representative María Elvira Salazar wrote on X. “This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values. Puerto Rico sent 48,000+ soldiers to Vietnam, with over 345 Purple Hearts awarded. This bravery deserves respect.”
“It’s not funny and it’s not true,” Senator Rick Scott added on X. “Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans! I’ve been to the island many times. It’s a beautiful place. Everyone should visit! I will always do whatever I can to help any Puerto Rican in Florida or on the island.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments