Businesses and residences are adorned with the red, white, and blue flag of the US island territory, while passing cars and eateries serving fried plantains and spit-roasted pork are filled with the sounds of salsa and reggaetón.
The region serves as the center of Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican community, which numbers over 90,000. It is also a significant component of Pennsylvania’s Latino community, which both Democrats and Republicans have attempted to win over before the election on November 5.
However, a joke during Donald Trump’s rally in New York the previous evening in which comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a “island of garbage” infuriated many residents on Monday morning.
According to others, the joke might backfire on the Republicans in a crucial swing state that the Democrats won by a slim margin of 1.17%, or roughly 82,000 votes, in 2020.
“The effort caused a great deal of harm to itself. With only eight days left in the campaign, local resident Ivonne Torres Miranda said she is still disenchanted with both candidates, Republican Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. “It’s crazy to me,” she said.
Even if Mr. Hinchcliffe was making a joke, you wouldn’t do it.
We’re from Puerto Rico. Speaking quickly and with a strong Puerto Rican accent, she told the news, “We have pride and dignity.”
