Trump rally speaker's comments from Puerto Rico draw criticism, while Harris' plan for the island gets Bad Bunny support

With nine days until Election Day, both campaigns put Puerto Rico in the spotlight. Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled a plan to support the island – leading to an endorsement from Bad Bunny – while Puerto Rico was called a “floating garbage island” by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe in a speech Rally for former President Donald Trump in New York City.

In an effort to woo Puerto Rican voters in the mainland U.S., Harris posted a video on her social media platforms on Sunday in which she pledged to create a Puerto Rican task force to create jobs, cut red tape, and ensure that disaster relief funds are used quickly and efficiently. Work with leaders across the island to ensure Puerto Ricans have access to reliable and affordable electricity.

Rapper and singer Bad Bunny, a global superstar from Puerto Ricoshared the vice president's video on his Instagram account with his 45 million followers and later posted a snippet of the video in which Harris criticized Trump for his response to Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island in 2017.

“I will never forget what Donald Trump did and didn’t do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and competent leader,” Harris said in the video. “He left the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes, and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.”

In 2017, Trump visited the island to survey the damage after Hurricane Maria struck as a severe Category 4 storm. During a visit to survivors, the former president once threw paper towels into the crowd while distributing relief supplies, a move seen as widespread frustration over the federal response to the hurricane that left much of the island without power and food was callously criticized.

A source close to Bad Bunny confirmed to CBS News that the Instagram post represents an endorsement of the vice president and breaks with Bad Bunny's longstanding tradition of not getting involved in national politics. It's a coveted, weighty endorsement that both political parties have long hoped for, given Bad Bunny's global popularity, to gain greater influence among Latino voters.

Shortly before supporting Bad Bunny, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe took aim at Puerto Rico during a series of derogatory jokes while speaking at one Trump rally at Madison Square Garden.

“I don't know if you know this, but right now there's literally a floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean,” Hinchcliffe said. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”

Trump senior adviser Danielle Alvarez told CBS News, “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” adding that the jokes were neither vetted nor pre-approved.

Hinchcliffe's comments, which included offensive jokes about blacks and Latinos, were met with strong backlash. Several celebrities defended Puerto Rico, Latinos in the U.S., and expressed support for Harris' plan for the island. Among those who spoke out were Jennifer Lopez, Ariana DeBose and Ricky Martin. Martin, who has over 18 million followers, posted on Instagram: “Puerto Rico, this is what they think about us, vote for Kamala Harris.”

Several Democratic and Republican politicians also condemned Hinchcliffe's actions against Puerto Ricans, who represent a key voting group.

Harris' vice president, Gov. Tim Walz, said during a livestream with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “There are hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans in every battleground state. You have to choose.”

Ocasio-Cortez agreed with Walz and directed her comments toward Puerto Ricans in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania. “If you’re in Reading, if you’re in Philly, look at this garbage,” Ocasio-Cortez said, referring to Hinchcliffe’s joke. “What’s rubbish is that that’s actually just how people think about other people.”

There are more than 579,000 Latino eligible voters in Pennsylvania, about 50% of whom live in the “222 Corridor” — a stretch of small towns west and north of Philadelphia, including Reading, Allentown and Bethlehem.

Since Trump won the Keystone State with 44,000 votes in 2016 and Biden won it with 81,000 votes in 2020, narrow differences are likely to once again determine the outcome of the presidential election.

Harris spoke directly to Latino voters on Sunday while visiting a local Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia. “When I was in the Senate and knew that Puerto Rico did not have a senator, I always felt the need and obligation to do everything I could as a senator to ensure that the needs of Puerto Rico were met,” Harris said.

Harris campaign spokesman Kevin Muñoz said in a statement Sunday: “As a reminder, Pennsylvania is home to more than one million Latinos, predominantly of Puerto Rican descent, and today Vice President Harris not only spoke, but spoke in the heart of Philadelphia's Puerto Rican community in the election campaign.” about her vision for the island, but also about how she will reduce costs and create opportunities in her communities on the mainland.”

On Tuesday, Trump is expected to campaign in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where Latinos make up 54% of the population, with the majority of Puerto Rican descent.

Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott, a Trump ally, also condemned Hinchcliffe's comments.

“This joke is a bombshell for a reason. It’s neither funny nor true,” Scott said. “Puerto Ricans are great people and great Americans! I've been to the island many times. It's a beautiful place. Everyone should visit them! I will always do everything I can to help every Puerto Rican in Florida or on the island.”

Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar called the comments “racist.”

The island's resident commissioner, Jenniffer González-Colón, a Republican running for governor of the island, said the comments were “despicable, inappropriate and disgusting.”

contributed to this report.