BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) at a Pennsylvania get-out-the-vote event Monday evening criticized a comedian’s Puerto Rico joke at former President Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally the day prior but downplayed its impact on the election.
As Johnson fielded questions from a crowd of about 90 people at the get–out-the-vote event to support GOP congressional candidate Ryan Mackenzie, attendee Wanda Mercado-Arroyo piped up with concern about the “floating island of garbage” comment from Tony Hinchcliffe.
“As a Latina myself, I am concerned about the comments made by the supposed comedian,” Mercado-Arroyo said. “What are we going to do about that? We need to have a strong voice about that, because we were making such a great advance with Latinos.”
The toss-up district where Mackenzie is hoping to unseat Rep. Susan Wild (D) includes Allentown, a majority Latino city home to 34,000 Puerto Ricans. Trump is holding a rally in Allentown on Tuesday.
“People are bombarding all of us Latinos that happen to know that we’re Republicans, asking us ‘Why? How that can happen? Who vetted these people who were speaking?’” Mercado-Arroyo said.
Johnson echoed a number of other Republicans with his response.
“I don’t think the stupid comments of a comedian that were ill-thought will make any difference,” he said.
“I mean, Trump came out to denounce it, as he should have. It doesn’t reflect the views of any Republican I know. I mean, the guy’s an entertainer. He picked the wrong venue; it wasn’t funny at all,” Johnson said.
Trump himself has not publicly addressed the comment, but his campaign has distanced itself from them, with campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt saying on “Fox & Friends” on Monday that “it was a comedian who made a joke in poor taste.” A wave of Republicans have expressed frustration about the comments.
Hinchcliffe, for his part, has defended his jokes at the rally, which also included saying that Latinos “love making babies.” He wrote on the social platform X that “people have no sense of humor.”
Johnson, who also spoke at the Madison Square Garden rally, added that he did not hear the comedian’s joke or “any of the crazy stuff that was said” at the time, because he was greeting other people when it happened. He continued that Republicans have “been embracing the Latino and Hispanic community.”
But Mercado-Arroyo pressed on, saying, “My question remains: What is the party going to do about it?” She added that she hopes the issue is addressed “before the damage is done.”
“I mean, we’ve all denounced it. … I’m sure he’ll address it tomorrow,” Johnson said of Trump. “We’ve been embracing the Latino and Hispanic community. … We’ve gotta help them understand that our policies are the things that lead to human flourishing, that are better for them and their families, their individuals and families and communities, and embrace them and keep them in the party.”
Another attendee asked the Speaker to pass the message to Trump to show support for the community during his rally.
“We’re definitely asking, put in Trump’s ear to give a shoutout to the Latinos in Allentown,” the attendee said. “Getting in their hearts that we love them, we care for them. Let them hear that.”
