Vice President Harris is airing a new television ad featuring racist comments about Puerto Rico made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at President Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The ad will likely be directed at the significant Puerto Rican populations across critical swing states like Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada. 

Mr. Hinchcliffe, a Texas comedian who is close with Joe Rogan, described Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” during his opening set at the Garden, just hours before the former president took the stage. Other cracks included a remark about Black people “carving watermelons” for Halloween and the sexual proclivities of Latinos. 

The ad, which the Harris campaign released on Monday afternoon, opens with a video of Mr. Hinchcliffe’s comments as he is standing behind a Trump–Vance 2024 placard. Ms. Harris then speaks to the camera as photos of a devastated Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria in 2017 roll across the screen. 

“I will never forget what Donald Trump did. He abandoned the island and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults,” Ms. Harris says in the ad, referring to the botched hurricane response that left thousands dead. “Puerto Ricans deserve better. As president, I will always fight for you.”

While Puerto Rico itself has no say in the outcome of the presidential election this year, the Puerto Rican diaspora in the continental United States could have a major say in who is sitting in the Oval Office come January. According to the 2020 Census, nearly 6 million Puerto Ricans or Americans of Puerto Rican descent live stateside, with many spread across critical battleground states in tight knit communities, such as Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood and Philadelphia’s Fairhill neighborhood. 

Beyond the joke about the island itself, Mr. Hinchcliffe made a crass remark about the sexual proclivities of Latinos as a whole. 

“These Latinos — they love making babies,” the comedian said. “There’s no pulling out. They come inside. Just like they did to our country.”

The joke by Mr. Hinchcliffe quickly brought Puerto Rican officials, elected leaders of both parties, activists, and celebrities out of the woodwork to condemn the remarks. Several pro-Harris entertainers either reiterated or announced their endorsement of the vice president on their social media feeds to their hundreds of millions of followers. 

Singers Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Bad Bunny all expressed support for the vice president on their social media platforms in the hours after the joke about Puerto Rico was told. Ms. Lopez shared a post on Instagram detailing Ms. Harris’s plan for new investments in the island, while singer Ricky Martin shared a clip of Mr. Hinchcliffe’s joke on his Instagram account urging followers to support Ms. Harris. 

Mr. Anthony, who endorsed Ms. Harris in mid-October, shared a digital ad on Monday that he had made for the vice president shortly after the endorsement was made public on October 18. Speaking directly to camera, Mr. Anthony refers to Trump as an ugly and divisive figure, particularly for Latino communities. 

“This election goes way beyond political parties. Now let’s remember what the United States represents and stands for. It’s our name — United, regardless of where we’re from,” he says. 

Democrats were quick to jump on Mr. Hinchcliffe and the Trump campaign for the remarks. After Mr. Hinchcliffe defended his joke on X as harmless, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — who is of Puerto Rican descent — responded, saying that he was carrying water for white supremacists.  

“This isn’t the comedy store. You’re using your set to boost neo-Nazis like [Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene] & stripping women’s rights to the Stone Age. Your ‘sense of humor’ doesn’t change that,” she wrote.

“In case you needed yet another reminder that MAGA extremists don’t care about and look down on Puerto Ricans, here you go,” wrote Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, who was born and raised on the island and now represents New York City in the House. 

The political implications for insulting Puerto Ricans could be dire for the Trump campaign. In Pennsylvania alone, there are more than 620,000 Puerto Ricans living in the state, which is about eight percent of the total population. More than 33,000 of those Puerto Ricans live at Allentown, Pennsylvania, which is the anchor of a swing district in the House this year. 

“Our Puerto Rican community represents some of the best of what America has: loving, smart people who have contributed so much to my community, and the United States as a whole, many of whom serve in our military and defend our country. This is reprehensible, dangerous, hateful rhetoric that I condemn and every politician should condemn,” Congresswoman Susan Wild — the Democrat who is in a knife-fight reelection battle for the Allentown-based district — said in a statement.