NEW YORK (AP) — A month after supporting Trump at a rally, Puerto Rican reggaeton singer Nicky Jam has withdrew his endorsement of the 2024 presidential candidate.
The comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who referred to Puerto Rico as “garbage” in front of a packed Trump rally in New York, appears to have been the trigger.
In a video statement that was uploaded to his official Instagram page, Jam said in Spanish, “The reason why I supported Donald Trump was because I thought he was the best for the economy in the United States, where many Latinos live, many of us Latinos live, myself included, many immigrants who are suffering because of the economy and him, being a businessman, I thought it was the best move.”
“Never in my life did I imagine that a month later, a comedian would come to my country and criticize it. As a result, I no longer support Donald Trump and avoid any political situation. Regard Puerto Rico, Nicky Jam.”
The request for comment from the Associated Press was not immediately answered by Jam representatives.
Despite being citizens of the United States, Puerto Ricans are unable to participate in general elections, but they can have significant influence over relatives on the mainland.
The remarks made by Hinchcliffe have an impact both on the island and elsewhere: Shortly thereafter, Grammy-winning Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, one of the world’s biggest artists, backed Vice President Kamala Harris.
On Tuesday, Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martnez, posted a video to his Instagram account in which he talked about the history of Puerto Rico and how important its people have been in politics, sports, and entertainment. The caption said, garbage.”
He wrote in Spanish, “We have been fighting since the beginning of our existence; we are the definition of heart and resistance.” We proudly remind those who may have forgotten who we are that we are right here, where we are.
On Tuesday night, during her remarks at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards, actress Aubrey Plaza stated that, if her grandmother were still alive, she would respond profanely to Hinchcliffe’s portrayal of Puerto Rico.
Plaza informed those present, “I just wanted to very quickly respond to the racist joke that was made at that Trump rally about Puerto Rico, where the majority of my family is from.” Fortunately, my lovely auntie was not present to hear that disgusting comment.
The comment also offended Ricky Martin, who had previously endorsed Harris, who wrote on Instagram, “that’s what they think of us.”
Another well-known Puerto Rican star, Anuel AA, who endorsed Trump last month, was unable to comment on Hinchcliffe’s remarks, according to a representative.
At a rally in Las Vegas last month, Jam, who is known for songs like “Travesuras,” “Voy a Beber,” and the J Balvin collaboration “X,” expressed his support for Trump. Trump seemed to mistake Jam for a woman. Nicky Jam, a superstar of Latin music, Do you know Nicky? She is stunning. Nicky is missing. He stated
Consequently, the 2016 collaboration between Nicky Jam and the Mexican pop-rock band Maná, “De pies a cabeza,” has been removed from online platforms. The group stated in an Instagram post that it does not collaborate with racists.
