PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump on Tuesday called his rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden, an event marked by crude and racist insults by several speakers, a “lovefest.” That’s a term the former president also has used to reference the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Click here to watch the entire Trump press conference
Speaking to reporters and supporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump claimed “there’s never been an event so beautiful” as his Sunday night rally in his hometown of New York City.
“The love in that room. It was breathtaking,” he said. “It was like a lovefest, an absolute lovefest. And it was my honor to be involved.”
That’s despite criticism from Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign and many who watched — including Republicans — about racist comments made by speakers during the pre-show targeting Latinos, Black people, Jews and Palestinians, along with sexist insults directed at Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s set, in which he joked that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage,” stirred particular anger given the electoral importance of Puerto Ricans who live in Pennsylvania and other key swing states. The Trump campaign took the rare step of distancing itself from Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico but not other comments.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s set, in which he joked that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage,” stirred particular anger given the electoral importance of Puerto Ricans who live in Pennsylvania and other key swing states. The Trump campaign took the rare step of distancing itself from Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico but not other comments.
“They’ve had it. They’ve had it. They were listening to (Trump), but they said they think that that was like the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Ortega, a member of the Make the Road PA advocacy group.
Trump “didn’t make the comment about Puerto Rico. The comedian made the comment about Puerto Rico. But it is his political forum.”