During former President Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City, podcaster Tony Hinchcliffe attacked Puerto Rico, claiming it’s “literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean.” 

Although the remarks sparked outrage, numerous right-wing media figures have defended him. Some attacked critics for allegedly not having a sense of humor; others agreed that Puerto Rico is trash or dismissed Puerto Rico’s electoral relevance. 

Here are numerous examples from the hours after Hinchcliffe made those racist remarks. 

Donald Trump Jr. responded by reposting Hinchliffe’s defense that “these people have no sense of humor.” 

Fox & Friends is Fox News’ morning show that promotes Trump and his agenda. During the program, co-host Lawrence Jones said: “Number two, maybe it’s just me, Ainsley, I have a dark sense of humor, you know, And so I, like … maybe this was not the appropriate format for the comedian to be there? But it’s comedy.”

Laura Loomer is a bigoted podcaster who is heavily connected to Trump. She responded by wondering, “Did the managers at @unitedtalent UTA leak Tony Hinchcliffe’s jokes? And if they did, did they do so because he’s Pro Trump?” 

Greg Gutfeld is a pro-Trump Fox News host who has interviewed the former president. He praised the joke, saying: “Now people know about Puerto Rico having a huge trash problem.”

Greg Kelly is a pro-Trump host for Newsmax. He defended the remarks by citing ChatGPT and stated: “Now, if you ask ChatGPT ... it can be seen as a satirical commentary on the neglect or mistreatment Puerto Rico has historically faced, especially following serious weather events.”

Brenden Dilley is an extremist podcaster with connections to the Trump campaign and other Republicans. He said on his podcast that Hinchcliffe’s remarks about Puerto Rico are “true if you've ever been there.”

Jesse Kelly is a right-wing host and troll. He praised Hinchcliffe, stating: “We have that hilarious Puerto Rican joke … That's hilarious! That's hilarious! And today, people are pretending to be offended by it. Oh, shut up.” 

Elijah Schaffer is a bigoted commentator who hosts a streaming program for The Gateway Pundit. He defended Hinchcliffe and said of Puerto Ricans: “They technically are U.S. citizens, but we don't really care about Puerto Rico.” He also wrote on social media: “12% of the population of Puerto Rico moved out in the last decade alone. Clearly it is a dump. Move back if you think it’s so much better than the mainland.”

Matt Walsh is a bigoted podcaster. He wrote: “I hope everyone appreciates the masterful strategy here. Trump is goading the Dems into spending their final week crying about jokes. They are absolutely taking the bait. They can't help themselves.” Walsh also defended Hinchliffe on The Matt Walsh Show, saying of the rally: “These are the kinds of jokes that normal people tell.”

The Hodgetwins are pro-Trump podcasters who have met Trump. They wrote: “Democrats must be retarded if they think a famous comedian telling a joke about Puerto Ricans is gonna get them to flip their vote to Kamala.”

Will Chamberlain is a Republican commentator and strategist. He wrote: “Man, Trump is going to really struggle now to win Puerto Rico’s 0 electoral votes.” 

Milo Yiannopoulos is the far-right and bigoted commentator who worked with Steve Bannon to help elect Trump in 2016. He responded by attacking Puerto Ricans, writing: “Two things a Puerto Rican just won’t do 1. Describe themselves as American, no matter how many generations of American citizens precede them 2. Set foot in Puerto Rico.” He also wrote, “I agree with the Democrats, Puerto Ricans are emotionally incontinent children who can’t take a joke”; and “If you’re wondering how bad Puerto Rico is Venezuelans won’t go there.” 

Andrew Torba is the antisemitic leader of the racist social media platform Gab. He wrote: “What are all of those people doing in Pennsylvania instead of Puerto Rico? Is it some kind of island of garbage or something?” 

Carpe Donktum, real name Logan Cook, is a pro-Trump account meme maker. He responded by writing: “I can't believe that Trump might lose Puerto Rico's electoral votes because of a joke. Thanks @TonyHinchcliffe, way to go.”

*This article was updated with additional examples.