Actress and singer Jennifer Lopez will appear at a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Thursday, supporting Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris amid backlash over a racially charged joke made at a recent Donald Trump event.
The rally, organised by the Harris campaign, will see Lopez emphasising “the importance of voting, what’s at stake for the country with this election,” and her support for Harris, along with vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz.
Lopez’s participation follows her recent public endorsement of Harris in light of remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally in Madison Square Garden, where he controversially referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, another vocal supporter of Harris, responded to Hinchcliffe’s remarks with a passionate video about Puerto Rico shared with his 45.7 million Instagram followers, captioned simply, “garbage.” Singer Ricky Martin similarly voiced dismay to his 18.5 million followers, urging them to “Vote for @kamalaharris,” highlighting the frustration felt by Puerto Rican Americans.
The incident has sparked a strong reaction from political figures as well. Former Trump administration staffer Matthew Bartlett condemned the remark as “mass political suicide,” while Florida congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar called the joke “disgusting.”
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Republican Senator Rick Scott added, “The joke bombed for a reason.” Ángel Cintrón, president of the Puerto Rican GOP, has demanded an apology, warning, “If Donald Trump doesn’t apologize, we won’t vote for him.”
Under mounting pressure, Trump distanced himself from Hinchcliffe on Tuesday, stating he “didn’t know him” and hadn’t been aware of the joke. Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Joe Biden addressed the situation, asserting in a Zoom call with Latino supporters, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”
The Las Vegas rally is anticipated to be a pivotal moment for the Harris campaign as they seek to solidify support among Latino voters in the final stretch of the campaign.
