NEW YORK — Texas politicians are speaking out after a speaker at Sunday’s rally for former President Donald Trump made racist comments about Puerto Ricans and the entire Latino community.

What You Need To Know

  • Texas lawmakers are speaking out against former President Donald Trump after Austin-based comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage” and said Latinos “love making babies” at a rally on Sunday

  • State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, and Julián Castro, former mayor of San Antonio, denounced Hinchcliffe’s comments

  • “I hope every Latino voter will watch Trump and his campaign reps today and ask themselves whether Trump has respect for them or their children. Hell no he doesn’t. He thinks of you as trash, no matter how long your family has been in America,” Castro wrote in a post on X

  • It's not the first time Hinchcliffe has been called out for racism. During an Austin stand-up set in May 2021, Hinchcliffe called Asian American comedian Peng Dang a racial slur and continued to use racist stereotypes throughout his set while mocking with a heavily exaggerated Chinese accent

Austin-based comedian and podcaster Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage” and said Latinos “love making babies” at the rally, which took place at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.

Trump’s campaign later released a statement on Hinchcliffe’s comments.

"This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign," senior adviser to Trump’s campaign Danielle Alvarez said in a statement.

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, District 19, called Hinchcliffe’s comments a “disgusting, racist tirade” in a post on X.

“Every Latino voter needs to watch this disgusting, racist tirade. It’s what Trump and MAGA really think of us. Vote @KamalaHarris,” Gutierrez wrote.

Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, echoed Gutierrez’ remarks.

Julián Castro, former mayor of San Antonio and twin brother of Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, in a statement addressed Latino voters and asked them to think about whether or not Trump has respect for them.

This isn’t the first time Hinchcliffe has been called out for racism. During an Austin stand-up set in May 2021, Hinchcliffe called Asian American comedian Peng Dang a racial slur and continued to use racist stereotypes throughout his set while mocking with a heavily exaggerated Chinese accent.

In an interview with USA Today, Dang, who is based in Dallas, said he “didn’t have time to celebrate or feel good about [his own] performance” when he heard Hinchcliffe’s racist remarks. He said that Hinchcliffe never apologized to him.

Hinchcliffe’s podcast “Kill Tony” is based at Joe Rogan’s Comedy Mothership in downtown Austin. Hinchcliffe has written for Comedy Central roasts and has toured internationally with Rogan, according to his website.

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In the aftermath of the situation involving Dang, Hinchcliffe’s talent agency dropped him and he was booted from two scheduled shows with Rogan, according to Vulture.

Despite the incident, Hinchcliffe continues to tour and his podcast has 4.8 stars on Spotify. He is scheduled to perform at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park in December.