Donald Trump, the US presidential candidate, is taking fresh heat after describing a contentious rally in Madison Square Garden that was tainted by racial and sexist taunts as “an absolute lovefest” and “beautiful.”
Trump said the gathering, where featured comic Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” was an unparalleled show of devotion during a press conference held Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Trump did not apologize for the racial remarks made by Hinchcliffe and others, even though Democrats, a number of Puerto Rican celebrities, and some prominent Republicans expressed their displeasure on social media.
Rather, he dismissed the opponents who likened it to a Nazi rally in the arena in 1939.
The room was filled with affection. Trump remarked, “The love in that room was breathtaking.” “There has never been an event so beautiful, according to politicians who have been doing this for 30 or 40 years,” he continued. “It was an absolute love fest, and I was honored to be a part ofi t.”
Except for him, it was devoid of affection. Dana Bash, a political reporter for CNN, joked, “There was a lot of love for Donald Trump there.”
An anti-Trump political action group named the Lincoln Project quickly criticized Trump’s portrayal of the incident and urged voters to put an end to his chances of winning the election. The group posted on X, “No apology, no explanation.” “He is garbage; in seven days, dispose of him in the dustbin of history.”
Trump’s remarks brought to mind previous infamous incidents that he has attempted to characterize in a positive light. Trump referred to the January 6, 2021, storming of the US Capitol by hundreds of pro-Trump protesters, which injured police officers, as a “day of love.”
About 30 speakers at Trump’s event in New York on Monday hurled several slurs toward Democrats, Black people, and Latinos. Former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson made fun of Vice President Kamala Harris’s multiracial origins, while another speaker called Harris “the devil” and “the antichrist.”
The chair of the Republican party in Puerto Rico, Angel M. Cintron, stated on a Monday talk show, “At this time, we have no business and no relationship with Trump.” “We will not vote for Donald Trump if he does not issue an apology.”
Bad Bunny, a well-known artist from Puerto Rico, delivered an eight-minute video tribute to his own country on Tuesday. He addressed the criticism on his Instagram feed, which has over 45 million followers, by simply captioning it “garbage.”
