How the Trump campaign’s gamble on a provocative comic backfired
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Donald Trump’s campaign invited Tony Hinchcliffe, who hosts the popular podcast “Kill Tony," to do a comedy set at the former president’s rally at Madison Square Garden because of the comic’s popularity with young men, particularly after he sold out two shows at the same venue in August. The campaign didn’t know everything he would say, according to a campaign aide.
So when Hinchcliffe likened Puerto Rico to a garbage dump, Trump’s team was caught off guard and jumped into damage control, releasing a statement that Hinchcliffe’s remarks Sunday did “not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign." But the comment about Puerto Rico has taken on a life of its own, receiving sustained criticism from Democrats and even some Republican allies of Trump. The comments largely overshadowed the former president’s desire to wind down his 2024 campaign with an unrivaled spectacle at the Garden. Several GOP members of Congress running for re-election said the comments were a distraction.
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, a New York Republican and Puerto Rican in a competitive district, posted on X: “The only thing that’s ‘garbage’ was a bad comedy set. Stay on message." Trump’s campaign gambled that filling up Madison Square Garden would create the kind of media attention that gave his Make America Great Again agenda a signal boost in 2016.
Read more on livemint.com
