Trump camp responds to backlash over comedian’s Puerto Rico joke at rally
The Trump campaign is distancing itself from remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe during former President Donald Trump’s New York City rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, after he jokingly described a U.S. territory as a “floating island of garbage.” “It is absolutely wild times – it really, really is. And, you know, there’s a lot going on. Like, I don’t know if you guys 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, earning him immediate criticism from both sides of the aisle. “Who is that jackwat?” asked Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was live-streaming his reaction to the event alongside Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “When you have some a–hole calling Puerto Rico ‘floating garbage,’ know that that’s what they think about you. It’s what they think about anyone who makes less money than them,” Ocasio-Cortez added. “Disgusted by Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist comment calling Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage.’ This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values,” Florida GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, who is Cuban American, said on X in response to the comments. FULL SPEECH: FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP ADDRESSES RALLY AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN “This is not a joke. It’s completely classless & in poor taste,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., another Cuban American, added online. “Puerto Rico is the crown jewel of the Caribbean & home to many of the most patriotic Americans I know. Tony Hinchcliffe clearly isn’t funny & definitely doesn’t reflect my values or those of the Republican Party.” Meanwhile, amid the backlash over Hinchcliffe’s joke, the Trump campaign released a statement seeking to distance itself from the controversial remarks. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” senior Trump campaign adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a statement to Fox News Digital. WALZ REPEATS CLINTON ATTACK THAT TRUMP MADISON SQUARE GARDEN EVEN MIRRORED 1930’S NAZI RALLY Despite getting roundly criticized by both Republicans and Democrats, Hinchcliffe doubled down on his remarks. “These people have no sense of humor,” the comedian wrote in a post on X, which was directed at Ocasio-Cortez and Walz. “Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his “busy schedule” to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist,” Hinchcliffe said. “I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set,” he argued. “I’m a comedian Tim…might be time to change your tampon.”
NYC mayor weighs in on Trump’s historic MSG rally after 45’s gracious shoutout
New York City Mayor Eric Adams slammed former President Trump’s historic Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday for promoting “hateful words” from an invited guest speaker, despite Trump’s favorable shoutout to the mayor during the massive rally. “And you know who I want to thank?” Trump said Sunday evening from the sold-out arena. “Mayor Adams. Because Mayor Adams has been treated pretty badly. You know, when he said that this whole thing with the migrants coming into New York, this is just not sustainable. You know, we can’t do it. We’re trying to run a city, we got 100,000 migrants coming. We can’t do it, we just can’t do it, it’s not feasible, it’s not good.” “He said it very nicely,” Trump continued. “I said, ‘Well, he’s going to be indicted by these lunatics for saying that.’ A year later, he got indicted.” Fox News Digital reached out to Adams’ office for reaction to the shoutout, inquiring if the mayor agreed with Trump’s comments and for reaction to the rally overall. Adams’ office directed Fox Digital to a post from the mayor lambasting the event for the use of “hateful words,” seemingly referring to a comedian who joked about Puerto Rico ahead of Trump’s speech. TRUMP, POWERHOUSE GUESTS ROCK PACKED MSG WITH HISTORIC RALLY “The hateful words that were used by some at today’s rally at Madison Square Garden were completely unacceptable. No matter who says it, hate is hate and there is no place for it in our city. As Americans, we always should stand up against racism, antisemitism, and misogyny,” Adams posted on X. “Yesterday, ahead of today’s rally, I talked about how we all need to turn down the temperature that fuels hate and violence. I am once again renewing those calls,” he added. ELON MUSK, DANA WHITE TO APPEAR AT ‘HISTORIC’ TRUMP MSG RALLY Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, host of the popular podcast “Kill Tony,” sparked bipartisan backlash after he cracked a joke hours ahead of Trump taking the stage at Madison Square Garden that Puerto Rico is a “floating island of garbage.” “I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the… ocean right now.” Hinchcliffe said. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” The Trump campaign released a statement distancing itself and Trump from the remark. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez noted in a statement, according to reports. Hinchcliffe, whose comedic background is rooted in roasting celebrities and other comics, joked at another point: “These Latinos, they love making babies, too. Just know that they do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country.” TRUMP AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: ICONIC VENUE HAS PLAYED HOST TO MANY CAMPAIGN GATHERINGS NEAR ELECTION DAY The comic brushed off outrage from Democrats, and a handful of Republicans, such as Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., in an X post responding to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., slamming the joke during a livestream. “These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone… watch the whole set. I’m a comedian Tim… might be time to change your tampon,” Hinchcliffe posted. TRUMP PREPS FOR MASSIVE CAMPAIGN RALLY SUNDAY AT NEW YORK CITY’S MADISON SQUARE GARDEN Last year, Adams slammed the federal government’s handling of the immigration crisis, calling on President Biden to declare a state of emergency for the crisis, which the mayor has since linked to the motivation behind his historic corruption indictment last month. “The immigration system in this nation is broken. It has been broken for decades. Today, New York City has been left to pick up the pieces. Since last year, nearly 100,000 asylum seekers have arrived in our city asking for shelter,” Adams told reporters last year as buses of immigrants were transported to the Empire State. “That’s almost the population of Albany, New York.” “We are past our breaking point,” the mayor added. “New Yorkers’ compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not. And our partners at the state and federal levels know this.” ELON MUSK COMES OUT IN SUPPORT OF TRUMP IN ‘DARK GOTHIC MAGA’ AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN Adams is embroiled in a corruption case after Manhattan federal prosecutors hit him with a five-count indictment on fraud, bribery and corruption charges last month. Adams is accused of soliciting illegal campaign donations from foreign entities and falsifying paper trails to cover it up, according to a 57-page indictment. “I think they upgraded his seat in an airplane. That’s a very serious charge,” Trump joked of Adams’ charges during the event. “They’ve upgraded my seat a lot, too. I used to fly commercial. I don’t fly so much anymore, but they’d see me back there and sure, would you like an upgrade,” Trump continued. “I don’t know, maybe it’s something else.” Despite no evidence Adams was indicted over his previous remarks on the immigration crisis, he also pinned blame for the corruption scandal on his comments bucking the Democratic Party over immigration last year. TRUMP TO HOLD RALLY AT NEW YORK’S MADISON SQUARE GARDEN AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY “I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you, that I would be a target, and a target I became,” Adams said last month. “Leaks and rumors have been aimed at me in an attempt to undermine my credibility and paint me as guilty.” “Despite our pleas, the federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system. With no relief, I put the people of New York before party and politics,” he added. Last week, Adams came to Trump’s defense amid increasing claims from Trump critics, including Vice President Kamala
‘Trump card’: Internal House GOP memo reveals confidence amid dead-heat presidential race
FIRST ON FOX: The House Republicans’ campaign arm is confident that voter enthusiasm for former President Donald Trump will push them to victory in tight races across the country on Election Day. A National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) memo being sent to candidates and campaigns Monday morning, obtained by Fox News Digital, said the House GOP would rise or fall with Trump. “The NRCC holds a Trump card as we enter the home stretch: a historic environmental advantage for the GOP with Donald Trump at the top of the ticket,” it said. “The House has not flipped in the opposite direction of the results of a presidential election since the 1800s. In the previous 75 years, the House majority has not changed hands during a presidential election cycle. It’s why less than two weeks from Election Day we believe House Republicans can grow our majority.” CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION It also argues that Trump’s momentum in districts that President Biden won in 2020 is greater than it was in the last election, citing internal data. “An October NRCC polling average shows that among the 16 Biden districts that House Republicans currently hold, Kamala only leads by less than a point on the ballot,” the NRCC memo said. “This includes districts in blue states where Trump is currently either statistically tied or holds a lead where Biden won by double digits in 2020. In contrast, in 2020, Joe Biden won these 16 districts by more than 6.3% on average.” SPEAKER JOHNSON RIPS ‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’ IN BIDEN ADMIN’S HELENE RESPONSE: ‘ALARMED AND DISAPPOINTED’ A Fox News poll from mid-October found Trump leading Harris nationally 50% to 48%. Fox News Digital reached out to House Democrats’ campaign mechanism, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), for comment. Lawmakers running in tight races, generally known as “front-line” candidates, traditionally must over-perform at the top of their ticket in presidential election years to win. Both Democrats and Republicans have poured enormous time and resources into such races in New York and California, where a suburban backlash to cities’ progressive crime policies drove the House GOP into control in 2022. There are 16 seats among that number where voters chose Biden over Trump in 2020; however, and the road to the House majority likely lies through them again. Republicans’ optimism comes despite their fundraising lagging behind Democrats’ level since Vice President Kamala Harris became the party’s presidential nominee in July. “Despite Democrats’ fundraising advantage, Donald Trump’s popularity is pushing outgunned GOP challenger campaigns over the finish line,” the memo said. FORMER REPUBLICAN US SENATOR ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS, SAYS ELECTION OFFERS ‘STARK CHOICE’ “Any Democrat-held seat won by Joe Biden by five points or less in 2020 is in danger of flipping to the GOP due to Trump’s surge – and in some areas of the country, that number is even higher.” Democrats running in 25 of the 26 races dubbed by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report as “toss-ups” have outraised their Republican opponents in the most recent three-month span, according to an analysis by The Hill. Meanwhile, The DCCC raised $22.3 million in August, compared to $9.7 million by the NRCC. House Democrats ended that period with more cash than the GOP as well – $87 million compared to $70.7 million. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
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The scale of spread of these hoax bomb threats has been observed to be alarmingly unrestrained, facilitated by social media functions like “forwarding,” “re-sharing,” “re-posting,” and “re-tweeting.”
Delhi air pollution: AAP govt to deploy bus marshals, civil defence volunteers to fight ‘very poor’ AQI, here’s how
CM Atishi criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for terminating these workers and assured Delhi residents that her government would “find a solution.”
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Several parts of east, northeast and south Delhi and areas under the New Delhi Municipal Council will be affected, it said.
Scalise details Trump’s vision on securing border in first 100 days
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said former President Donald Trump will move quickly to tighten laws against illegal immigration if he wins the White House. The No. 2 House Republican leader told Fox News Digital that he met with Trump earlier this year at Mar-a-Lago, where the two discussed priorities for the first 100 days of a new administration – provided the GOP sweeps Congress and the White House. Among the priorities, in addition to economic and energy initiatives, is the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. “President Trump can do a number of things on his own that he has talked about,” Scalise said Friday. CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION He said Trump would likely reinstate his Migrant Protection Protocols, better known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which forced asylum-seekers to wait on the Mexican side of the U.S. southwestern border while their cases were being adjudicated. Multiple human rights groups have criticized the policy as inhumane, and the Biden administration dropped it in 2021. Scalise also expects Trump to cease all “catch-and-release” policies at the border. “We know that it’s causing crime problems in every community, drug problems, the fentanyl that the drug cartels are bringing in,” Scalise said. SPEAKER JOHNSON RIPS ‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’ IN BIDEN ADMIN’S HELENE RESPONSE: ‘ALARMED AND DISAPPOINTED’ A Republican-majority Congress would support Trump’s crackdown, he said, noting Capitol Hill’s role in funding federal projects and programs. “Things like building more wall – that’s something we worked with President Trump to do. We built over 500 miles of wall. Joe Biden ended that on day one,” Scalise said. “We also want to fund some more tools for our Border Patrol agents, things like drone capabilities, night vision, so that they can do an even better job of managing the border.” Other first 100-day priorities include rolling back electric vehicle mandates and setting new tax policy – with key provisions in Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act set to expire in 2025. However, the Louisiana Republican was careful not to over-project confidence in the closing days of the election. He noted that the House majority would likely come down to 40 to 45 key races out of 435 and that a GOP majority would likely be a slim four to 10 seats. “These aren’t the days where you can have a 30-seat majority anymore because of redistricting and the way it’s really narrowed the map,” he said. “But at the same time, I mean, today we have a four-seat majority. We had actually dropped down to a one-seat majority earlier this year. So, you know, if we’re able to get it up close to double digits, that would really be a great night for us.” ‘ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND VOID’: GEORGIA JUDGE STRIKES DOWN NEW ELECTION RULES AFTER LEGAL FIGHTS Scalise himself has put in hundreds of miles on the road in support of Republican candidates. He raised $70 million this election cycle, with $15 million given to the House GOP campaign arm and $10.4 million to 206 individual candidates and incumbents. Scalise’s political team said he has visited at least 140 different districts to campaign for the 2024 cycle. In October alone, the month before Election Day, Scalise held 66 events across 28 states. Should Democrats win the House majority, however, Scalise – the longest-serving member of House GOP leadership – insisted he had no interest in challenging House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., as the top House Republican. When asked if he would entertain a bid for minority leader against Johnson if colleagues asked him to, Scalise firmly answered, “No.” “We’re not talking about what happens if we lose the majority, because all of my focus is on not only winning the majority, but gaining seats. And anybody who’s thinking about losing or anything like that is just misplaced in their focus,” he said. Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
Republican incumbents Cruz, Fischer hold narrow leads in Texas, Nebraska Senate races: polls
New polls have found that Senators Ted Cruz and Deb Fischer are holding narrow leads against Democrat and independent challengers in their respective Texas and Nebraska Senate races. The New York Times and Siena College survey of 1,180 likely voters in Texas has Cruz leading Democrat Colin Allred 50 to 46%. Allred, a current House representative and former NFL player, spoke in support of Vice President Harris last Friday at a rally in Houston. In Nebraska, Republican Deb Fischer leads her independent opponent Dan Osborn 48 to 46%, with 5% of the 1,194 likely voters polled there indicating that they are undecided or refusing to answer. Both the Texas and Nebraska polls were conducted by phone between Oct. 23 to 26 and have a margin of error of around three percentage points. MCCONNELL, GOP DESCEND ON NEBRASKA TO SAVE DEB FISCHER’S ENDANGERED SENATE SEAT The last time Cruz was challenged for his Senate seat in Texas was in 2018, when he defeated Democrat Beto O’Rourke by three percent of the vote. In this contest, Allred is polling ahead of Harris among likely voters. The results show Allred has 46% support from residents of Texas, compared to Harris’ 42%, according to the New York Times. Allred is also leading Harris with 76% compared to 71% among Black voters and among Hispanic voters (56 compared to 50%), the newspaper reported. SCHUMER-TIED GROUP DROPS MILLIONS AGAINST TED CRUZ AS DEMOCRATS EYE PICKUP OPPORTUNITY IN TEXAS For the Nebraska race, Osborn – who is a union leader and mechanic – is leading Fischer among independent voters by 31%, the New York Times reported, adding that in that state Harris leads Trump among independent voters by 10%. The Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund has recently launched a $3 million ad buy in the state to shore up Fischer’s support. Additionally, Fischer is getting help from well-known top Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley from neighboring Iowa. In a new radio ad, he tells voters, “This is your neighbor Chuck Grassley,” adding, “my friend Deb Fischer needs your vote.” Osborn’s popularity in Nebraska has appeared to take the Fischer campaign by surprise, given the seeming last-minute efforts to fortify her support. It is often difficult for independent candidates to gain traction, especially against an incumbent. However, without a Democratic candidate nominated in that Senate race, Osborn has a much larger pool of potential voters. Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
Walz repeats Clinton attack that Trump Madison Square Garden event mirrored 1930s Nazi rally
Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz repeated Hillary Clinton’s attack that former President Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City mirrored a 1930s Nazi event. Walz compared Trump’s rally on Sunday night to a 1939 “pro-America” rally held by German dictator Adolf Hitler at Madison Square Garden 85 years ago, before World War II. “Donald Trump’s got this big rally going at Madison Square Garden,” Walz said Sunday at a canvas kickoff event in Las Vegas. “There’s a direct parallel to a big rally that happened in the mid 1930s at Madison Square Garden. And don’t think that he doesn’t know for one second exactly what they’re doing there. So, look, we said we’re all running like everything’s on the line because it is.” Trump 2024 senior adviser Tim Murtaugh told “Fox & Friends First” on Monday that Walz’s comment was “offensive,” and that “they should be ashamed of themselves.” TRUMP, POWERHOUSE GUESTS ROCK PACKED MSG WITH HISTORIC RALLY Clinton also made the comparison, yet as Murtaugh noted, her own husband, former President Bill Clinton, accepted the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination at Madison Square Garden. The iconic venue, more recently known for Billy Joel concerts, New York Knicks basketball and New York Rangers hockey, has hosted four Democratic conventions and one Republican convention. Then-presidential candidate Jimmy Carter accepted the Democratic nomination at Madison Square Garden in 1980. Then-President George W. Bush accepted the Republican nomination at the same venue in 2004. ELON MUSK, DANA WHITE TO APPEAR AT ‘HISTORIC’ TRUMP MSG RALLY “It’s ridiculous. Here’s Kamala Harris, who Donald Trump is currently beating, which means she and her campaign are calling more than half the country a bunch of Nazis and yet she wants to be president of it,” Murtaugh said. “There was an Israeli flag flying in Madison Square Garden. President Trump has been recently endorsed by imams in Detroit, and we had a Holocaust survivor as a special guest at the rally last night. And for Tim Walz to come out and say that, it is offensive, it is belittling to what actually happened in Europe at the hands of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust that killed 6 million Jews.” “To make light of that by trying to score political points against your American opponent three quarters of a century later is horribly offensive,” he added. “This is a dying campaign, this is a struggling campaign, and they’re throwing anything at the wall that will stick. They should be ashamed of themselves.” Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden reportedly reached the venue’s maximum 19,500 capacity. Donald Trump Jr. said that nearly 200,000 people tried to attend. The last time a Republican presidential candidate won the popular vote in deep blue New York was 1984 by Ronald Reagan.
Pro-Trump comedian who told Puerto Rico joke at Madison Square Garden draws criticism from AOC, others
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe sparked bipartisan backlash by cracking a joke about Puerto Rico while speaking at the Trump rally held on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. “I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the … ocean right now.” Hinchcliffe said. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” The Trump campaign swiftly distanced itself from the joke. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez noted in a statement, according to reports. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York addressed Hinchcliffe’s joke during a Twitch stream with Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. “Who is that jackwad?” Walz asked in response to the clip. TRUMP, POWERHOUSE GUESTS ROCK PACKED MSG WITH HISTORIC RALLY Ocasio-Cortez, who noted that her family is from Puerto Rico and that she’s Puerto Rican, took issue with the comedian’s joke. “That’s just what they think about you. It’s what they think about anyone who makes less money than them. It’s what they think about the people who serve them food in a restaurant. It’s what they think about the people who, who fold their clothes in a store,” the Democrat from New York asserted. The lawmaker’s “mother was born and raised in Puerto Rico,” according to her congressional website. Hinchcliffe responded to the clip of Ocasio-Cortez and Walz, declaring in a post on X that he loves and vacations in Puerto Rico. “These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist,” he wrote. “I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone… watch the whole set. I’m a comedian Tim… might be time to change your tampon.” TIM WALZ AND AOC PLAY MADDEN ON TWITCH IN ATTEMPT TO APPEAL TO YOUNG MALE VOTERS But Ocasio-Cortez fired back on X, scolding Hinchcliffe and accusing him of boosting neo-Nazis. “You’re opening for Trump by calling Puerto Rico a floating pile of garbage. 4,000+ Puerto Ricans died under him. This isn’t the comedy store. You’re using your set to boost neo-Nazis like MTG & stripping women’s rights to the Stone Age. Your ‘sense of humor’ doesn’t change that.” she tweeted. “And before people try to act like this is some PC overly sensitive nonsense, I’ve been to Kill Tony shows. I’m from the Bronx. I don’t give a s— about crude humor. But don’t pretend that your support for Trump is a joke. Own it. You doing a set to support him. That’s a choice,” she added in another post. The lawmaker accused the comedian of dishing out “red-meat racism.” “Can’t get over this dude telling someone else to change tampons when he’s the one sh—ing bricks in his Depends after realizing opening for a Trump rally and feeding red-meat racism alongside a throng of other bigots to a frothing crowd does, unironically, make you one of them,” she tweeted. “You don’t ‘love Puerto Rico.’ You like drinking piña coladas. There’s a difference,” Ocasio-Cortez added in another tweet. AOC FIRES BACK AT FETTERMAN, ACCUSES HIM OF ‘BLEAK DUNK ATTEMPT’ Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York also blasted the comedian. “As a Puerto Rican, I’m tempted to call Tony Hinchcliffe racist garbage, but doing so would be an insult to garbage. When casting their ballots at the voting booth, Latinos should never forget the racism that Donald Trump seems all too willing to platform,” the congressman tweeted. Republicans also criticized the comedian. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., tweeted, “This is not a joke. It’s completely classless & in poor taste. Puerto Rico is the crown jewel of the Caribbean & home to many of the most patriotic Americans I know. @TonyHinchcliffe clearly isn’t funny & definitely doesn’t reflect my values or those of the Republican Party.” Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, a Republican from New York, posted, “I’m proud to be Puerto Rican. My mom was born and raised in Puerto Rico. It’s a beautiful island with a rich culture and an integral part of the USA. The only thing that’s ‘garbage’ was a bad comedy set. Stay on message.”