Why Trump might have issues with the remarks on Puerto Rico

In the past few hours, Puerto Rico has gained a lot of attention after a comedian at Donald Trump’s event called the US territory a “floating island of garbage” in an offensive and disparaging remark.

Separately, Kamala Harris received public support from Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, who posted one of her campaign videos on social media.

In the final days of this campaign, both Democrats and Republicans have stepped up their attempts to win over Latino voters.

The Pew Research Center estimates that approximately 36 million Hispanic voters are eligible to cast ballots this year. In general, they have been a crucial component of the Democratic Party’s coalition; according to Pew, 59% of Latinos voted for Joe Biden in 2020.

Republicans, however, have been gaining ground on that support, particularly among Cuban-Americans, the majority of whom identified as Republicans in 2020. Compared to the 25% that Republicans obtained in the 2018 congressional elections, Donald Trump’s percentage of Hispanic votes rose to 38% in that election.

In a number of crucial swing states, Hispanic voters make up a sizable minority. According to Pew, there are about 615,000 of them in Pennsylvania. It is anticipated that 855,000 Latinos would cast ballots in Arizona, where polls show Donald Trump has a narrow advantage.

That’s why the remarks at the gathering on Sunday have become so important. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of the Democratic Party has encouraged Pennsylvania’s Hispanic voters to watch the videos. Donald Trump’s campaign, meanwhile, has quickly denied them.