Latin superstar Bad Bunny backs Harris for president after comedian's racist jokes at Trump event

[October 28, 2024]  By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON

Bad Bunny threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday by sharing a video of the Democratic presidential nominee shortly after a comedian at Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally made crude jokes about Latinos and called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage," angering artists and some Hispanic Republicans.

Bad Bunny, whose official name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is one of the most famous artists of the moment. His backing could be a boost for the Harris campaign as it tries to bolster its support with Latino voters, among whom Trump has been working to gain ground.

The video Bad Bunny shared with his 45 million Instagram followers shows Harris saying “there’s so much at stake in this election for Puerto Rican voters and for Puerto Rico.” A representative of the artist confirmed that Bad Bunny is supporting Harris.

Bad Bunny signaled his support moments after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made the remarks on Puerto Rico. Later, Hinchcliffe said “these Latinos, they love making babies” and said they don't use the pull-out birth control method.

The comments on Puerto Rico were immediately criticized by Harris’ campaign, but were also called out by Angel Cintron, the head of the GOP on the island, and Republican U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, who represents parts of Miami and has participated in recent Trump events.

Salazar wrote: “Disgusted by “@TonyHinchcliffe’s racist comment calling Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage.’ This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values. Puerto Rico sent 48,000+ soldiers to Vietnam, with over 345 Purple Hearts awarded. This bravery deserves respect. Educate yourself!”

Trump campaign spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez in a statement said "this joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

Luis Fonsi, a Puerto Rican artist who sings the hit “Despacito,” went on Instagram and wrote “going down this racist path ain’t it.”

“We are not OK with this constant hate,” he wrote in a message shared on Instagram. “It’s been abundantly clear that these people have no respect for us.”

Ricky Martin, who had previously endorsed Harris, was also offended by the comment and said "that’s what they think of us,” on Instagram.

In showing support, Bad Bunny shared several times another part of the clip Harris made on Puerto Rico, saying “I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader."

 Bad Bunny poses in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

The 30-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton artist, who has popular songs such as “Dakiti” and “Titi Me Preguntó,” has won three Grammy Awards. He was the most streamed artist on Spotify in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and was only surpassed by Taylor Swift in 2023. He was named Artist of the Year by Apple Music in 2022.

The Puerto Rican vote is sizable in Pennsylvania, which is arguably the hardest fought of the swing states in the 2024 election. Other Puerto Rican singers such as Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony had already expressed support for Harris. Trump has also attracted support from other popular stars from the island such as Anuel AA and Nicky Jam.

Bad Bunny has been vocal about criticizing Puerto Rico’s electric system, which was razed by Hurricane Maria. In a 2022 music video for his song “El Apagon,” the artist called out the company Luma Energy, which handles transmission and distribution, for the constant power outages that plague the island.

One of his most recent songs, “Una Velita,” is also a protest against the government response following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017.

A year after the storm, public health experts estimated that nearly 3,000 perished because of the effects of Hurricane Maria. But Trump, whose efforts to help the island territory recover have been persistently criticized, repeatedly questioned that number saying it rose “like magic.”

His visit to the island after the hurricane elicited controversy such as when he tossed paper towels. His administration released $13 billion in assistance years later, just weeks before the 2020 presidential election. And a federal government watchdog found that officials hampered an investigation into delays in aid delivery.

Bad Bunny also shared a part of the clip showing Harris saying that Trump “abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.”

Harris visited a Puerto Rican restaurant in North Philadelphia earlier on Sunday and released her policy related to the island saying she wants to create a task force to attract investment to fix the electrical grid. And Trump is headed on Tuesday to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where more than half of its population is Hispanic and a majority of them from Puerto Rico.

In 2020, Bad Bunny allowed the Biden campaign to use one of his hits “Pero Ya No” in a TV ad.

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