Within the days after Donald Trump’s notorious Nazi rally at Madison Sq. Backyard the place a comic known as Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” Republicans demanded individuals “get over” their emotions, claiming that it was only a “joke.” Trump walked round claiming he knew nothing in regards to the comic, as if the controversy was about his private Rolodex and never what individuals have been saying in his title, at his rallies, together with his implied consent.
Right here’s what’s significantly humorous: The racism on show at that rally didn’t simply break by way of the cacophony of Trump scandals, however it’s Republicans who helped amplify it—and made the implications worse for Trump and the GOP.
As a reminder, right here’s what MAGA comic Tony Hinchcliffe stated to heat up the gang of Trump devoted:
“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.”
Then he saved going.
“And these Latinos, they love making babies too,” Hinchcliffe stated. “Just know that. They do. They do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside. Just like they did to our country.”
The “roast” comic went on to make racist jokes about Black individuals, Jews, and Palestinians. Weirdly, he made zero jokes about white evangelical conservative males.
Trump and his surrogates may’ve performed one thing loopy: apologize. The Republican presidential nominee may’ve taken the stage that very same evening and stated, “Woah, that’s not what I stand for.” Whereas it’s completely what he stands for, the media would’ve fallen for it as a result of they love nothing greater than giving Trump the advantage of the doubt. However he couldn’t apologize, as a result of he believes it. He actually needed to commerce Puerto Rico for Greenland.
A few days later, President Joe Biden delivered a Rorschach check of a sentence by which he was saying that Hinchcliffe was rubbish, however MAGA pretended he stated all Trump supporters have been rubbish. As a result of they’re the weirdest individuals on this planet, they determined to stroll round sporting trash baggage and calling one another trash. They have been nonetheless on that this weekend.
Right here’s the factor: The world doesn’t stay in MAGA world’s silly little anti-reality bubble. And in the true world, few noticed Biden’s feedback as a result of—who cares?
However what did Latinos see?
“Nilsa Vega and Neidel Pacheco of Hellertown, a borough south of Bethlehem, both said they had never voted before, but Hinchcliffe’s remarks were the reason they planned to vote for Harris on Tuesday,” reported HuffPost. “Pacheco saw Trump’s decision to pose in a garbage truck at a campaign stop in Wisconsin the following day as an additional insult. ‘If he didn’t have nothing to do with it, what’s he doing in the garbage truck?’ Pacheco asked.”
By sporting trash baggage and speaking about rubbish and using round in rubbish vehicles, these Pennsylvania Latinos assume Republicans are doubling down on the insult. And even when Latino voters don’t make that connection, Republicans who proceed to speak about rubbish are conserving the unique story alive. This is perhaps the one finest instance of how terminally on-line 4Chan MAGA Republicans have fully misplaced contact with actuality, to their get together’s detriment.
And the fallout is palpable. Right here is a report from CNN about Las Vegas Latinos in swing state Nevada, and even Fox Information is masking Latino anger in Pennsylvania.
However who wants anecdotal proof when we’ve arduous knowledge? A blockbuster Univision/YouGov ballot of Pennsylvania Latinos exhibits simply how deeply the rubbish scandal broken the Republican marketing campaign.
The ballot discovered that the state’s Latinos most popular Vice President Kamala Harris 64-30. That’s not far from 2020 exit polls that discovered Keystone State Latinos voting for Biden 69-27, and flies within the face of prior typical knowledge that Trump was making inroads with nonwhite voters.
Amongst these polled by Univision, 88% heard in regards to the rally and the assaults on Puerto Rico. Of these, 69% have been offended by the “garbage” comment, and simply 17% brushed it off as a joke.
“Among Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania—a group particularly affected by the remarks made at the rally—71% reported that, even if intended as a joke, these comments suggest that there is racism within the Trump campaign,” reported Univision. I’d guess that perhaps 1% of these polled heard about Biden’s comment.
Moreover, 62% of respondents stated they thought-about Trump disrespectful towards Latinos, and half stated they’d be extra more likely to vote for Harris due to the feedback.
“While respect for the Latino community remains a priority, Pennsylvania Latino voters also indicated interest in candidates’ economic agendas,” Univision reported. “However, given a hypothetical choice between a candidate who prioritizes respect for the Latino community and another who emphasizes economic growth without explicitly condemning racism, a majority still leaned toward the candidate who demonstrated respect. This finding suggests that, for many Latino voters, cultural respect is a critical value that influences their political choices alongside economic concerns.”
For context, 467,000 Puerto Ricans stay in Pennsylvania, 115,000 stay in North Carolina, 65,000 stay in Wisconsin, and 109,000 stay in Georgia. As for states with aggressive Senate races: 1.15 million Boricuas stay in Florida, whereas 230,000 stay in Texas.
