Trump’s Madison Square Garden Rally Sparks Backlash Over “Floating Island of Garbage” Comment on Puerto Rico
[Alex Brandon/AP Photo]
Former President Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally ignited a wave of controversy after a right-wing comedian introducing Trump made an inflammatory joke, referring to Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage.” The remark, widely denounced as racist, led even some ardent MAGA supporters to quickly condemn it as inappropriate.
Behind the scenes, the Trump campaign faces mounting fallout, with frustrations among GOP officials reaching a boiling point. Speaking to Jake Tapper on State of the Union, CNN’s Kristen Holmes shed light on the internal turmoil within Trump’s team, despite the campaign publicly portraying the rally as a success.
“Yesterday afternoon on State of the Union, a number of Republican commentators said they hope that Donald Trump will close with a positive, uplifting, inclusive message,” Tapper noted. “I don’t think he’s doing that?” Holmes concurred though she suggested that Trump and his team might feel no need to change their approach.
“Every anti-immigrant, culture-war red meat line he threw out at the rally got a round of applause,” Holmes explained. “Not just tepid clapping, but standing ovations. They believe that what they’re doing, and he himself believes, is working, especially when speaking directly to his base. Last night, it was evident that this kind of rhetoric has them enthused.”
However, when it comes to the Puerto Rico joke, Holmes said the GOP is acutely aware of the potential political damage. “They do not need to be reminded how many Puerto Rican voters there are,” she said, emphasizing the swift response from Trump’s campaign to issue a statement distancing itself from the comment. Holmes revealed that several GOP lawmakers and aides quickly reached out to Trump’s advisers, expressing serious concerns.
“I’ve heard a lot of finger-pointing among aides and allies questioning how this could have gone unvetted,” she added. Holmes reported that the comedian’s remarks had not been reviewed by the campaign, stating, “I was told that the comedian went over his speech but didn’t vet these specific jokes with the campaign.”
Nevertheless, this account contradicts recent reports that the Trump team did intervene on another joke the comedian planned to make, one involving Vice President Kamala Harris. The campaign’s selective review of the material, allowing some incendiary remarks to slip through, underscores the challenges Trump’s team faces in balancing the high-energy, provocative tone Trump’s rallies often embrace while managing the broader backlash that follows.
