SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A comedian calling Puerto Rico trash before a packed Donald Trump rally in New York was the latest humiliation for an island territory that has long suffered from mistreatment, residents said in a Monday expression of fury that could affect the presidential election.

Although Puerto Ricans cannot vote in the general election despite being U.S. citizens, they can wield powerful influence among their loved ones on the mainland. Phones on the island of 3.2 million were ringing minutes after the speaker ridiculed the U.S. territory Sunday night, and they were ringing again Monday.

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is competing with Trump to win over Puerto Rican communities in Pennsylvania and other key states. Shortly after, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe said: “I don’t know if you know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny announced his support of Harris.

Hinchcliffe’s series also included lewd and racist comments about Latinos, Jews and black people, all key groups in the election.

Non-voters with great influence

Milagros Serrano, 81, has a son who lives in the swing state of Pennsylvania and said the entire family was outraged by the comedian’s comments.

“He can’t talk about Puerto Rico like that,” she said as she left for a medical appointment. “He’s the one who’s trash.”

Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1917, and the first major wave of migration occurred after World War II to alleviate labor shortages. There are now more Puerto Ricans in the United States than on the island.

Those who remained say they often feel like second-class citizens because they cannot vote in presidential elections and receive limited federal funding compared to U.S. states.

This festering resentment boiled over when Trump visited Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit the island as a powerful Category 4 storm in 2017. He threw paper towels at the crowd and denied the The official death toll from the storm, with experts estimating that nearly 3,000 people died during the storm. suffocating aftermath.

José Acevedo, a 48-year-old health worker from San Juan, shook his head as he recalled the feelings that coursed through him as he watched Sunday’s rally.

“What humiliation, what discrimination! he said early Monday as he waited to catch a public bus to work.

Acevedo said he immediately texted relatives in New York, including a Republican uncle who planned to vote for Trump.

“He told me he was going to have to analyze his decision,” Acevedo said, adding that those close to him were in shock. “They couldn’t believe it.”

Angry reaction at home

The comments dominated local news sites late into the night and prompted Jenniffer González, Puerto Rico’s congressional representative for the pro-statehood New Progressive Party and a Trump supporter, to call them “despicable, misguided and disgusting.” “.

“They don’t represent the values ​​of the GOP,” she said.

Politics in Puerto Rico is defined by the political status of the island, so it is common to see Democrats and Republicans being members of the same local party.

Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Pedro Pierluisi wrote on Facebook: “Trash is what came out of Tony Hinchcliffe’s mouth, and everyone who applauded him should be ashamed of themselves for disrespecting Puerto Rico.” »

González, who defeated Pierluisi in his party’s primary, is leading in polls heading into the November 5 election.

Sonia Pérez, a 58-year-old parking attendant, said she hadn’t voted for a governor in years, but was so angry about the comedian’s comments and González’s support for Trump that she considered rejecting González and the other candidate representing both. major parties that have long dominated in Puerto Rico.

“It is outrageous that in the 21st century there is so much racism against Latinos when we have contributed so much to the country and it is not recognized,” she said.

Disbelief and indignation

Hinchcliffe’s comments also sparked reaction from Puerto Rican stars, including Ricky Martin, who previously supported Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. He posted a video of the crude joke and wrote: “Here’s what they think of us. »

Michael Meléndez Ortiz, a 33-year-old unemployed janitor, said he and a friend initially thought the video was fake because they were so surprised by what the comedian was saying.

“We must be respected,” he said. “We are good and honest people.”