US politicians, celebrities blast Trump-allied comedian for calling Puerto Rico 'garbage'

A woman takes photos of a gate with the Puerto Rican flag painted on it, in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 28, 2024. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican and Democratic leaders alike and Puerto Rican celebrities bashed comments made at a major Donald Trump event in New York by a comedian who called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage."

Speaking before the Republican presidential candidate at a rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night, comedian and podcast host Tony Hinchcliffe added that Latinos "love making babies" and that they do not "pull out," comments that leaned into a racist trope that Latinos are preoccupied with childbearing and averse to birth control.