As Pennsylvania Latino leaders denounce Trump rally comments, they hope Bad Bunny’s endorsement will juice the Harris campaign

While Vice President Kamala Harris was chatting up North Philly's Hispanic community at Freddy & Tony's Puerto Rican restaurant on Sunday, former President Donald Trump’s campaign was infuriating Latinos at a rally in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, where stand-up comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico an "a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean." 

Hours later, amid widespread outrage, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny became the latest high-profile Latino to endorse Harris, sharing clips on social media showing the vice president expressing support for the island. It was the latest high-profile celebrity endorsement for Harris – who has already garnered the support of Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez and actor John Leguizamo – and arguably the most influential, since the 30-year-old pop star represents precisely the demographic Democrats are most worried about: younger Latino men.

“Bad Bunny's endorsement will help us get across the finish line and elect Kamala Harris as our first woman president,” declared state Rep. Danilo Burgos, a Philadelphia Democrat and a Dominican-American. He was among more than a dozen Latino community leaders who convened in the city’s Fairhill neighborhood today to denounce the vitriol at the Trump rally – and refused to accept an apology from the campaign. 

Some Hispanic leaders predicted that the collective fury, alongside Bad Bunny’ endorsement – and social-media urging from U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York Democrat with Puerto Rican roots, who stumped for Harris in Philly last week – would motivate electoral turnout from the all-important Pennsylvania demographic, a key Democratic voting bloc.

"There’s an increase in the participation in the Puerto Rican community, that’s for sure,” Burgos noted. “Harris was in our district yesterday … and it really gives you a shot in the arm, a boost of energy so that we can finish strong.”

In Allentown, a majority-Hispanic city where many residents have Puerto Rican roots, Mayor Matthew Tuerk noted that “Puerto Rico is on everybody’s radar right now.”

“I couldn’t have predicted that this jackass comedian would make those comments last night,” he added, “so I’m really glad that (Bad Bunny) made an endorsement.”

Philadelphia Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, who represents the heavily Hispanic 7th Council District in North Philadelphia, could hardly restrain her anger as she denounced the Trump campaign and yesterday’s racist comments. But she, like Burgos, was buoyed by Harris’ visit to her neighborhood. 

“We’ve never had a presidential candidate come to the Fairhill community. We’ve never had a presidential candidate say or unveil a specific plan for economic opportunity for the island of Puerto Rico,” said Lozada, a Puerto Rican American who emphasized that Harris had also visited before the current campaign, as vice president. “And I believe that because of that, you will see a huge positive impact on her campaign.”

Puerto Ricans, Lozada explained, “are emotional voters. We need to feel respected and valued by the candidate ... I think that Kamala has done a really great job in doing that.” 

Trump, she added, has long made the opposite impression on an electorate still smarting over the former president’s pitching of paper towels to Puerto Ricans devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. “Trump has consistently shown who he is,” she said. Referring to the “island of garbage” comment, she added: “I believe that there were people who were on the fence. And this was the last straw.”