Tony Hinchcliffe.
By Roberto Morejón
It is unacceptable that the main concerns about the consequences of the contempt expressed for Puerto Rico in a campaign rally of Donald Trump are limited to the possible impact on the electoral campaign in the North American country, and not to what the inhabitants of the so-called Island of Enchantment think.
The former US president took part in an event in New York in favor of his intentions to win the elections on November 5.
On that occasion, a comedian made a joke about Puerto Rico.
In Madison Square Garden, actor Tony Hinchcliffe's remarks comparing the Caribbean nation to a "floating garbage island" provoked a wave of justified rejection.
In his xenophobic line, in tune with the politician he applauds, Hinchcliffe lashed out against Latinos, blacks, Jews and Palestinians, in the midst of a parade of supporters of the Republican tycoon.
Not coincidentally, Trump called the demeaning spectacle a "love fest," even as he tried, too late, to distance himself from the insults against Puerto Rico.
This is not the first time the former Republican leader has been unfavorably associated with the commonwealth, a garment of U.S. colonial status.
As governor, he faced intense criticism for his administration's handling of Hurricane Maria.
Trump is remembered for throwing rolls of toilet paper to the crowds in Puerto Rico in 2017, as an aid after the passage of the meteorological phenomenon.
After the passage of the storm, the ruler asked if the United States could "sell" Puerto Rico, considered exchanging it for Greenland and tried to minimize the number of victims.
The White House, by the way, spared Puerto Rico financial aid because, in its opinion, its inhabitants were exaggerating their demands for help.
All of this came back to haunt many of the 3.3 million Puerto Ricans living on the island and the 5.8 million living in the United States.
Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans have moved to the world's leading economic and military power to escape the deep economic crisis caused by mounting public debt and the devastation of the hurricanes.
So, the current Republican candidate's relationship with the Caribbean Island is not as warm as he tries to claim, nor is his figure as popular there.
Nothing assures that the silliness of a comedian in Madison Square Garden responded only to his own inspiration.