Government & Politics

Trump Rally “Garbage” Joke Sparks Controversy In District 17 Race

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"Comedian" Tony Hinchcliffe at the bTrump MSG rally (photo via YouTube)

October 28, 2024

By Barrett Seaman–

Local Democrats, including Mondaire Jones, were quick to denounce Congressman Mike Lawler’s mere presence at Trump‘s Saturday night rally at Madison Square Garden as a sign of his fealty to Trump, implying that anything short of public condemnation of the string of xenophobic and racist comments from Trump allies at the podium would be inadequate.

In a message to supporters, Jones deplored the “lineup of neo-Nazis and other bigots” on display at the rally, which he called “an absolute disgrace…It featured speakers who used sexist, racist and antisemitic rhetoric that puts communities in danger.”

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Lawler was one of many New York-area candidates attending the rally. He was not, however, a speaker. Instead, he stood by silently as a parade of Trump allies, from Stephen Miller and Elon Musk to the Trump sons, Don Jr. and Eric took to the podium. But the speaker who drew the most attention was comedian Tony Hinchcliffe who called Puerto Rico “literally a floating island of garbage.”

According to accounts, there was little if any sign of protest from the roughly 20,000 attendees, but there was an immediate reaction from the Harris campaign: According to a Washington Post account, “a Democratic super PAC was texting hundreds of thousands of Puerto Rican voters in Pennsylvania to make sure they saw a clip from the rally.”

Back in the district where Lawler is in an apparently tight race with Mondaire Jones, Democrats echoed Jones’ assessment that “Lawler has no regard for the New Yorkers harmed by this hateful rhetoric. His main concern is pleasing Donald Trump and supporting his extreme MAGA agenda”

That’s the message Mondaire has been trying to sell to voters who see Lawler as more of a bipartisan Republican than a MAGA one. Lawler has worked hard to make sure opportunities to demonstrate otherwise come few and far between, making the Madison Square Garden a rare and juicy target for his opponent.

As he has shown in recent debates, Mike Lawler can be combative, which the tact he took in his official reaction to the rally. “More than 20,000 New Yorkers of every race, color, religion, and creed attended the rally at MSG this weekend,”“ stated Lawler. “This is America, and people should be free to support and vote for whoever they want for any office without being personally demeaned or attacked.

“To that end, let me be crystal clear: I categorically condemn the racist comments made by one unfunny comedian and over-the-top, inappropriate rhetoric by others long before President Trump took the stage. Likewise, I condemn those suggesting that everyone there was a Nazi. What a ridiculous and insulting thing to say, especially to the thousands of Jews in attendance—who, by the way, were far safer and more welcomed at MSG than they would be at Columbia University.”

On one point almost everyone agrees: Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico fell flat.

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