SAN JUAN — Roberto González Nieves, archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico, called on former President Trump to apologize personally for comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke comparing Puerto Rico to “a floating island of garbage.”
In an “open letter” addressed to the former president, the archbishop said he “consulted with my brother bishops of Puerto Rico” and was “dismayed and appalled” by Hinchcliffe’s joke, which the controversial comedian delivered Sunday at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally ahead of the GOP presidential nominee’s speech.
“I call upon you, Mr. Trump, to disavow these comments as reflecting in any way your personal or political viewpoints,” the letter reads. “It is not sufficient for your campaign to apologize. It is important that you, personally, apologize for these comments.”
Hinchcliffe, who goes by Kill Tony, has faced significant backlash from figures across the political aisle since delivering the joke. His set also included jokes targeting Jews and Black men, but it was his comments about Puerto Rico that generated the most attention and criticism.
“There’s a lot going on. Like, I don’t know if you know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” Hinchcliffe said on stage Sunday, eliciting mixed reactions from the crowd. The comedian has also defended his remarks amid scrutiny.
The archbishop sharply pushed back on Hinchcliffe’s remarks in his open letter.
“Puerto Rico is not a floating island of garbage. Puerto Rico is a beautiful country inhabited by a beautiful and noble people, which is why in Spanish it is called ‘un encanto, un edén’,” he wrote. “More Puerto Rican soldiers died in the Vietnam War as part of the United States military than soldiers from any state of the United States.”
“I enjoy a good joke,” González Nieves continued. “However, humor has its limits. It should not insult or denigrate the dignity and sacredness of people. Hinchcliffe’s remarks do not only provoke sinister laughter but hatred.”
He added, “These kinds of remarks should not be a part of the political discourse of a civilized society.”
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for a response.
By SARAH FORTINSKY/The Hill