Former President Donald Trump’s next rally will see him visit Allentown, Pennsylvania, a town with a large Puerto Rican community, just days after his last rally was condemned for including racist jokes about Puerto Rico.
Trump’s last campaign event, which saw the Republican nominee take to the stage in New York City, was slammed by Democrats and conservatives alike for jokes made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who characterized Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage.”
With just days left in the election campaign, the Trump campaign was quick to distance itself from the comments, with a spokesperson saying: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
However, there has already been significant backlash from the Puerto Rican community and Republicans unhappy with the remarks; Puerto Rico’s Republican Party chair Angel Cintrón even threatened to withhold his support for Trump if a personal apology was not made.
As Trump heads to Pennsylvania, the Puerto Rican community in the critical swing state, which numbers around half a million, has mobilized to organize protests at his rally.
Donald Trump at a rally on April 13, 2024, in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. Trump is returning to the state amid backlash over “racist” jokes told by Tony Hinchcliffe at his last rally.
Getty Images
According to Politico, local leaders in Allentown, which is a majority Latino city, are encouraging friends and family to protest the event, which was originally planned to be part of Trump’s closing argument in the final days of the campaign.
Additionally, a nonpartisan Puerto Rican advocacy group wrote a letter on Monday urging its members to vote against Trump in November.
Where Is Today’s Event?
Today’s rally is being held in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The city is majority Latino and has a large Puerto Rican population of around 34,000.
Trump was scheduled to appear there before his last rally in New York when Hinchcliffe made the comments about Puerto Rico. In response, many Latino activists have mobilized the community against Trump, meaning there could be protests at the rally today.
What Time Is the Event?
The doors open at the venue at 3 p.m. EST, with Trump scheduled to appear at 7 p.m., according to his campaign website.
Where Will the Event Be Aired?
The event is being livestreamed from Donald Trump’s official YouTube account, which has been used to broadcast all his rallies so far.
Why Does This Event Matter?
This event comes immediately after the Trump campaign faced backlash for comments made against Puerto Rico and the Latino community on Sunday. As a result, Trump will be under more scrutiny and the event will be watched closely for any response he might have to the comments made by Hinchcliffe.
Additionally, Pennsylvania is a critical swing state, carrying 19 Electoral College votes. With just a few ten thousand votes deciding the election in this state for 2020, backlash from a community that numbers half a million voters in Pennsylvania alone could be the difference between victory and defeat on election night.
This rally is one of Trump’s only chances to properly address the backlash to his campaign.
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