What we’ve witnessed over the years—starting not only at the rally held at Madison Square Garden in New York but from the moment Donald Trump descended that golden escalator—has exposed the true nature of his campaign. It’s a campaign that has emboldened cronies and racists alike to freely spread intolerance toward minorities: Latinos, immigrants, African Americans, Muslims, Jews, and even U.S.-born citizens from Puerto Rico. This isn’t an isolated incident; it’s the recurring pattern of the MAGA movement, a dangerous faction of the Republican Party that outright rejects diversity. Some may excuse the recent rhetoric by saying, “Oh, it was just a comedian; it wasn’t Trump,” in reference to Tony Hinchcliffe’s comments. But that’s nonsense. Tony was invited as a special guest and speaker at Trump’s closing rally in New York City—a city home to 700,000 Puerto Ricans. The Trump campaign approved him, his script was reviewed and vetted, and they knew exactly what message they were sending.
As of Tuesday, when I am writing this OpEd, Trump has not made any official statement about these, and other racist comments made during his New York rally. Instead, he remarked, “It was like a love fest and it was my honor to be involved.” No kidding. The level of intolerance displayed here is unacceptable. Yet, his supporters at Madison Square Garden laughed, finding humor in this bigotry. But it’s not funny for Puerto Ricans. It’s not funny for Latinos. And it’s definitely not funny for those of us who believe in democracy and inclusivity. ¡PUERTO RICO SE RESPETA!
Let’s not forget that just recently, Trump falsely claimed that immigrants from Haiti were stealing pets in Springfield, Ohio, for food—a lie that led to hate-fueled harassment of Haitian families. Immigrant children were bullied, some forced to stay home due to bomb threats, missing the day when they were supposed to have their school pictures taken. Trump and his VP candidate, J.D. Vance, knew these claims were false but perpetuated them anyway, fueling hostility. My own Venezuelan community has also been under fire. Trump’s cronies have baselessly labeled us gangsters and murderers, accusing Venezuelans in Aurora, Colorado, of “taking over” apartment buildings without any proof.
But with the united force of 600,000 Latino voters in Pennsylvania, we have the power to show Donald Trump and his group of racists, with a chancla (Flip Flop) in our hands the door for good. The path to the White House goes through Pennsylvania. On November 5, Latinos will hand the keys to Kamala Harris.
