Pennsylvania: Anger among Puerto Ricans in key swing state after racist remarks | Pennsylvania

On Sunday evening, Philadelphia Councilmember Quetcy Lozada attended a campaign rally with Vice President Kamala Harris at a local restaurant as the Democratic presidential candidate unveiled a new economic proposal for Puerto Rico.

Lozada is of Puerto Rican descent and represents the seventh borough in Philadelphia, which is over 50% Latino, predominantly Puerto Rican.

As Lozada left the campaign event, her phone exploded. Contacts began sending her text messages containing video of a comedian's racist remarks during a Trump rally in New York.

“I got in the car, watched the video and had to play it back several times to make sure I was hearing what I was actually hearing,” Lozada said in an interview. “I was absolutely frustrated, I was angry – but I wasn’t surprised.”

While the Harris campaign announced its policy proposals for Puerto Rico, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe opened a Trump campaign rally in New York. Hinchcliffe made racist and derogatory comments about Puerto Ricans during his introduction.

“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,” said Hinchcliffe, a comedian and host of the popular podcast and stand-up comedy show Kill Tony.

The racist remarks spread like wildfire, sparking anger and outrage in Pennsylvania, one of the key battlegrounds in the US election that many experts say is crucial to any attempt to win the White House. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are over 472,000 Puerto Ricans living in the state of Pennsylvania.

A Puerto Rican voter, Yemele Ayala, who also attended the Harris campaign rally in Philadelphia, found Hinchcliffe's comments disturbing.

“We should take this at face value – people’s behavior tells the truth about themselves,” Ayala said. “And this is not the first time our Puerto Rican community has felt disrespected.”

When Ayala, a Harris supporter, saw the video of the racist remarks, her first thought was, “We have more work to do.”

The backlash over the racist remarks has led Democratic Party leaders to condemn the Trump campaign and use the opportunity to mobilize voters in Latino communities. On Monday morning, Lozada joined the Harris campaign in a press conference condemning the racist comments.

The Guardian spoke to Puerto Rican community leaders and voters who have expressed anger over racism and hope it will motivate people to vote for Harris in the crucial state.

Lozada said the racist remarks were representative of the Trump campaign's attitude toward immigrant communities: “Today, Puerto Ricans are the talk of the town. Not long ago it was Venezuelans, it was Mexicans – it was immigrants in general.”

During the Trump rally, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez livestreamed their reaction to the racist comments.

“Who is this jackass?” Walz asked, then added: “There are hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans in the battleground states that we need to send a message to: You need to vote.”

In response, comedian Hinchcliffe published a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which he said that the Democratic Party has “no sense of humor.”

“I love Puerto Rico and vacation there,” the comedian added. “I made fun of everyone… Look at the whole set. I’m a comedian, Tim…maybe it’s time to change your tampon.”

The Trump campaign, for its part, tried to distance itself from Hinchcliffe's comments. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” a Trump campaign adviser said in a statement to Fox News. Other Republicans also tried to distance themselves from racist comments, including Florida Senator Rick Scott.

Although Puerto Ricans on the island are U.S. citizens, they are not eligible to vote. However, people residing in US states are eligible to vote.

After the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico became a US territory. In 1917, Puerto Ricans became U.S. citizens. But because of the island's status, Puerto Ricans on the island pay no federal income tax and, aside from a non-voting representative, have no political representation in Congress.

In 2006 the island was hit by a severe recession. The Puerto Rican government borrowed so much money to combat economic problems that it led to a massive debt crisis. In 2016, Congress passed the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act, which established a financial oversight board called “La Junta” to manage the island's budget and repay Puerto Rico's creditors. The financial regulator has implemented austerity and privatization programs to incentivize investors to flock to Puerto Rico.

On Sunday, the Harris campaign announced a new economic plan for Puerto Rico. If elected, Harris promised he would promote an “opportunity economy” for the island.

“Working with the private sector, the Puerto Rican government, municipalities and other stakeholders, they will fight to strengthen the energy grid, make Puerto Rico a hub for industries of the future, and strengthen the island's role as a vibrant economic and cultural center. “,” said a Harris campaign fact sheet posted on the campaign's website.

During the Trump administration, events in Puerto Rico caused further turmoil on the island. In 2017, the island was hit by a catastrophic hurricane that claimed lives and caused enormous devastation in Puerto Rico. After Hurricane Maria, Trump considered selling Puerto Rico. A report later found that the Trump administration had delayed over $20 billion in hurricane relief aid to the island following the hurricane. And during a visit to Puerto Rico, Trump faced backlash when he threw paper towels at a crowd in need of aid.

“Giving this person a chance to lead our country could be disastrous,” Lozada said. “At the end of the day, they just helped us — they helped the Democratic Party get to where we will be on November 5th, in this latest incident.”

Ayala, the Puerto Rican voter, agreed. Sunday night's racist remarks, Ayala said, underestimated “the power we have in numbers in this country.”

“America and the current state of this country was built on the sweat, blood and shoulders of our community,” Ayala added. “We don’t take this lightly.”