Puerto Rico Republican chief demands Trump apology for rally's racist remarks

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Guardian

Tue 29 Oct 2024 08.32 EDT


The president of the Republican party’s branch in Puerto Rico has said he will not vote for Donald Trump unless he apologises for racist remarks made at his rally referring to the US island territory as a “floating island of garbage”. Outrage even among fellow Republicans is continuing to mount after the racist insult at the Republican nominee’s rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday, with the podcaster Tony Hinchcliffe coming under fire for his inflammatory comments made about Puerto Rico in the opening speech.

The rally featured nearly 30 speakers, with some of them making a series of racially offensive remarks about Latinos, Black Americans and Jewish citizens. “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, among other controversial remarks, including singling out a Black man for a remark about watermelons.

In the hours following, Democrats, celebrities and Hispanic groups on both sides of the political aisle condemned the comments as “offensive” and “derogatory”. But on Monday, Angel M Cintrón, a former member of Puerto Rico’s state legislature and the Republican party’s current chair on the island, also said he would withhold his support from Trump unless he personally apologised for the racist remarks.

“Right now we have no business and no relationship with Trump,” Cintrón said during a Puerto Rican talkshow. “If Donald Trump doesn’t apologise, we won’t vote for him.” “Puerto Rico is always first,” he added.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/29/puerto-rico-republican-chief-demands-trump-apology-rally-racist-remarks

[XanaDUer2]

1. But he'll vote for him if he apologizes

[mpcamb]

2. He'll vote for him whether or not he apologizes. It's just theater.

[riversedge]

12. I have no doubt you are spot on!

[PittBlue]

3. Sure...

That makes perfect sense. Like Drump’s apology will ever happen or mean anything.

[Ray Bruns]

4. I wouldn't be holding my breath.

[DeepWinter]

5. Slight correction

There is no Puerto Rico "Republican" party. Angel M Cintrón Is a member of The New Progressive Party. Regardless of name, most members identify with US Republicans, but it isn't that simple. Some identify with US Democrats. It's complex.

[Resistance1]

6. Another Slight Correction

https://republicanpartyofpuertorico.gop/leadership/chairman-angel-cintron-garcia/

[BumRushDaShow]

7. For Congressional delegate purposes

they have been joining the current "mainland" political parties (i.e., Democratic Party, Republican Party). But for internal offices, they have their own party system in Puerto Rico.

Their current delegate (Resident Commissioner) to Congress is a Republican (for Congressional purposes) - Jenniffer González-Colón

This is no different from how Eleanor Holmes Norton is a "Democrat" and delegate from D.C. or Stacey E. Plaskett is Democrat and Delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

[bigworld]

8. If he's resident of Puerto Rico, he isn't voting for anyone

[BumRushDaShow]

10. But he and his fellow islanders ARE calling their relatives here on the mainland

who are residents of a state and are registered to vote in those locations, and asking them TO VOTE (and at this point, NOT for 45).

There is quite a bit of movement of Puerto Ricans back and forth beween the island and mainland throughout a year. "Cheap" commuter flights to and from San Juan, are a "thing".

[kysrsoze]

9. If this dude had a spine or principles, he'd quit the Republican Party instead of crying about an apology.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Sometimes it takes something like this

for some of these groups to "figure it out".

I remember back in the '80s and how so many Haitians supported Raygun and I would even hear some call up talk radio and insult Democrats. Then AIDS hit and the GOP promptly blamed it ALL on "Haitians". That was the beginning of the end of that "relationship".

Allowing Haitian immigrants (including pregnant women and children) to drown trying to get to Florida while they still had the "wet foot dry foot" policy in place for Cuba immigrants, underscored the point.

Yet it still dragged on and continued to take time... But I think what we just saw happen in Ohio, is something that perhaps FINALLY got through to any of the "holdouts".

[LilElf70]

13. The moron with no empathy, apologizing?

Never in a million years.

[travelingthrulife]

14. Did Mr Citron forget he threw paper towels at them after the hurricanes and

basically terrorized the mayor of San Juan.