Trump’s Racist Comedian Wanted to Make an Even Worse Harris Joke
Donald Trump’s campaign reportedly stopped comedian Tony Hinchcliffe from calling Kamala Harris a “c*nt” onstage at his rally at Madison Square Garden, raising serious concerns about the severely racist jokes they did allow. The Bulwark reported Monday that Hinchcliffe’s set had been reviewed by Trump’s campaign, even though the former president’s team claimed they had not vetted all of the comedian’s remarks.Four top campaign insiders told The Bulwark that one particularly unsavory joke was spotted when Hinchcliffe’s speech was loaded into the teleprompter. “He had a joke calling Harris a ‘c*nt,’” said one campaign insider, who was involved in discussions about Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden. “Let’s say it was a red flag.”Hinchcliffe removed the joke from his set when asked by Trump’s staff. However, Hinchcliffe’s other wildly offensive jokes likening Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage,” mocking Latinos for not using birth control, saying he had “carved watermelons” with his Black “buddies,” and calling Palestinians “rock-throwers” still made it into the set. After the rally, Vianca Rodríguez, the deputy director of Hispanic communications for the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign, said that “they don’t have absolute control” over what the rally’s many speakers said onstage. The campaign sources told The Bulwark that they hadn’t spotted the other objectionable punch lines because they had all been ad-libbed. Some lines, such as Hinchcliffe’s racist remark about a Black man in the audience, did appear to be riffs, but they still could have been planned by the comedian. Clearly, Trump’s campaign had some control, as they prevented Hinchcliffe from using profane language. And what they did allow was the horrific joke about Puerto Rico that overshadowed Trump’s entire appearance. Hinchcliffe reportedly practiced that joke at the comedy club The Stand the night before, where it hadn’t done very well, either. He reportedly said multiple times during his Saturday night set that his jokes would earn a better reaction “tomorrow at the rally.”Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a statement Monday that “this joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” referring to Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico, leaving the other racist remarks unaddressed. Without calling Harris the c-word, there were still plenty of hateful remarks made about her. One speaker was David Rem, a sanitation worker who was billed as Trump’s childhood friend (though they reportedly met for the first time just two weeks ago, per Newsweek). Rem called Harris the “Antichrist.”And Trump’s campaign doesn’t seem totally opposed to using the slur. Elon Musk’s America PAC shared a 34-second ad Monday that referred to Harris as “the c-word” multiple times.
Donald Trump’s campaign reportedly stopped comedian Tony Hinchcliffe from calling Kamala Harris a “c*nt” onstage at his rally at Madison Square Garden, raising serious concerns about the severely racist jokes they did allow.
The Bulwark reported Monday that Hinchcliffe’s set had been reviewed by Trump’s campaign, even though the former president’s team claimed they had not vetted all of the comedian’s remarks.
Four top campaign insiders told The Bulwark that one particularly unsavory joke was spotted when Hinchcliffe’s speech was loaded into the teleprompter.
“He had a joke calling Harris a ‘c*nt,’” said one campaign insider, who was involved in discussions about Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden. “Let’s say it was a red flag.”
Hinchcliffe removed the joke from his set when asked by Trump’s staff. However, Hinchcliffe’s other wildly offensive jokes likening Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage,” mocking Latinos for not using birth control, saying he had “carved watermelons” with his Black “buddies,” and calling Palestinians “rock-throwers” still made it into the set.
After the rally, Vianca Rodríguez, the deputy director of Hispanic communications for the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign, said that “they don’t have absolute control” over what the rally’s many speakers said onstage.
The campaign sources told The Bulwark that they hadn’t spotted the other objectionable punch lines because they had all been ad-libbed. Some lines, such as Hinchcliffe’s racist remark about a Black man in the audience, did appear to be riffs, but they still could have been planned by the comedian.
Clearly, Trump’s campaign had some control, as they prevented Hinchcliffe from using profane language. And what they did allow was the horrific joke about Puerto Rico that overshadowed Trump’s entire appearance.
Hinchcliffe reportedly practiced that joke at the comedy club The Stand the night before, where it hadn’t done very well, either. He reportedly said multiple times during his Saturday night set that his jokes would earn a better reaction “tomorrow at the rally.”
Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a statement Monday that “this joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” referring to Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico, leaving the other racist remarks unaddressed.
Without calling Harris the c-word, there were still plenty of hateful remarks made about her. One speaker was David Rem, a sanitation worker who was billed as Trump’s childhood friend (though they reportedly met for the first time just two weeks ago, per Newsweek). Rem called Harris the “Antichrist.”
And Trump’s campaign doesn’t seem totally opposed to using the slur. Elon Musk’s America PAC shared a 34-second ad Monday that referred to Harris as “the c-word” multiple times.
