NEW YORK – As former President Donald Trump courts the popular vote, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe crudely mocked Latinos – a key group for any victorious 2024 election – during the prelude to the former president’s rally at Madison Square Garden.

Nine days before the election, Trump rallied dozens of his most popular surrogates and allies to rally thousands in Midtown Manhattan, a reliably deep blue neighborhood.

Hinchcliffe, who took the top spot of nearly 30 opening speakers, began with a series of crude and derogatory jokes about the conflict in the Middle East, black voters and Latinos.

“These Latinos also love having babies. Just know that they do,” Hinchcliffe said, preparing his joke: “There is no retreat. They don’t do that. They are inside, just like they did to our country.”

A few moments later, the comedian once again attacked a key voting bloc within the community: Puerto Ricans.

“There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you know this, but right now there is literally a floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” he said, to scattered applause and jeers.

He also told a joke about one of his black “buddies” and how they “carved watermelons” together.

Battleground Pennsylvania, where poll results show a razor-thin race between Trump and Harris, is home to the country’s third-largest Puerto Rican diaspora. Last month, the former president invited Puerto Rican artist Anuel AA to the stage of a rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to publicly show his support for the Republican Party.

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment about Hinchcliffe’s jokes.

In a livestream with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday afternoon, Vice President Kamala Harris’ nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, responded to the comedian’s comments.

“Who is this idiot? Who is this guy?” Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, asked after a clip of Hinchcliffe’s joke played on her stream.

“The people of Puerto Rico are citizens. They pay taxes and serve in the military at almost a higher rate than anyone else,” Walz added, chiding Trump for his response to Hurricane Maria in 2017 — including a now-famous clip of the former president throwing rolls of paper towels at it Puerto Ricans are looking for help.

“Obviously it’s very disturbing to me,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I want people to understand that when they call Puerto Rico floating trash, they know that’s exactly what they’re thinking.”

Puerto Rico, home to over 3 million U.S. residents according to the 2020 census, experienced significant migration to the mainland United States after Hurricane Maria devastated the island territory in 2017.

Puerto Ricans living on the island are not eligible to vote in presidential elections (the Commonwealth holds elections and awards delegates to both Democratic and Republican primary candidates), even though they are U.S. citizens.

But their relatives on the mainland can.

For her part, Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled her plan for Puerto Rico as she campaigned in Pennsylvania on Sunday, posting details on her social media accounts and adding a section to her campaign website. Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican rapper and singer, shared Harris’ announcement with his more than 45 million Instagram followers.