Donald Trump Paved the Way for Tony Hinchcliffe’s Racist Jokes

Trump’s Sunday rally at Madison Square Garden was awash with racism and hate, with speakers calling Kamala Harris the Antichrist, labeling Hillary Clinton a “sick son of a bitch,” and dismissing Democrats as “Jew-haters and lowlives.” But it was comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who opened the rally, that made the night’s most controversial statements, saying that Latinos “love making babies. There’s no pulling out. They come inside, just like they did to our country” and calling Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage.”

Hinchcliffe is one of the biggest names in standup comedy today thanks to his influential Kill Tony podcast, where randomly picked guests do one-minute comedy sets in front of an audience that includes Hinchcliffe and other comedians. The podcast gives up-and-coming comedians an opportunity to show their stuff and maybe even break big. Hinchcliffe has also made a name for himself as a roaster, and delivered a widely acclaimed set during the roast of Tom Brady that aired this past May on Netflix.

Madison Square Garden wasn’t the first time that Hinchcliffe has traded in racist language and tropes. In 2021, he called Asian-American comedian Peng Dang a “filthy little fucking c***k” and referenced a number of Asian stereotypes. In an interview with Variety earlier this year, Hinchcliffe dismissed criticisms of his comedy, saying “I knew that what I had done was not wrong,” contended that “comedians should never apologize for a joke,” and claimed that anyone who finds such comedy offensive is just “virtue signaling.”

Which brings us back to Hinchcliffe’s Madison Square Garden performance, which drew criticism from folks on the Left and the Right alike. (And it could’ve been even worse; according to one Trump insider, Hinchcliffe’s original speech included a joke calling Harris a “c*nt.”) Not surprisingly, Hinchcliffe doubled down, claiming that “I made fun of everyone… watch the whole set.” (I did, and he didn’t.) The Trump campaign, however, quickly distanced themselves from Hinchcliffe’s jokes — or at least the one about Puerto Rico — claiming it “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

That’s pretty rich considering how often Donald Trump has spewed similar sentiments.

Trump has consistently expressed contempt for non-white folks crossing the border, stoking fears of gangs of drug dealers, criminals, and rapists flooding American cities from the south, and promising mass deportations as a response. Is it any surprise, then, that Hinchcliffe would think it perfectly acceptable to make a similar statement about Latinos, albeit with an extra layer of sexual crudity?

Trump has also been particularly dismissive of Puerto Rico in the past, apparently forgetting that it’s part of the U.S., and even pondered getting rid of the territory after Hurricane Maria because he thought it was dirty and poor. Is it any surprise, then, that Hinchcliffe would think it perfectly acceptable to call Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage” at a presidential campaign rally?

Following Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky in the late ’90s, the Southern Baptist Convention passed a “Resolution on Moral Character of Public Officials” that concludes by urging “all Americans to embrace and act on the conviction that character does count in public office, and to elect those officials and candidates who, although imperfect, demonstrate consistent honesty, moral purity and the highest character” (emphasis mine). As Alan Noble explains, “The resolution bases its conclusion on the belief that the character of public leaders has a formative effect upon the nation.”

Those confused or shocked as to why an insult comic like Tony Hinchcliffe would be offered the opening slot at a presidential campaign rally, or why other speakers at the rally would think it appropriate to use fiery, defamatory rhetoric, need only look at who the rally was for: Donald Trump, a man whose presidential campaign is fueled by invective and rancor, and whose political status depends on encouraging his followers’ worst impulses.

I’ve seen some defend Hinchcliffe’s speech by comparing it to Don Rickles’ performance at Ronald Reagan’s 1985 inauguration. Watching the two performances back-to-back, though, they couldn’t be more different. Hinchcliffe punches down, picking on immigrants and folks experiencing incredible economic hardship. Rickles — one of the all-time great roasters — actively picks on Reagan, even joking about his mental acuity, and mocks Vice President George Bush, Secretary of State George Shultz, and for good measure, the Reverend Billy Graham. Unlike Hinchcliffe, though, there’s a gregariousness and warmth to Rickles’ humor, as evidenced by the blessing he confers onto Reagan at the end.

Can you possibly imagine a comedian doing the same to Trump and his cadre? Can you imagine a comedian joking about Trump’s mental faculties — which have become a significant talking point in recent weeks — to his face? (If you want an inkling of how Trump might respond to such comments, watch his reaction to Seth Meyers’ digs at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.) Mike Cosper said it well:

When Don Rickles did the Reagan inauguration, he made the people in power — celebrities and politicians, Reagan and Nancy most of all — the targets of his insults. This has it backwards. And anyone familiar with Trump knows why. His ego is too fragile and narcissistic to be the subject of the jokes, so instead, mock minorities *as* impoverished marginal communities. It’s the lowest form of comedy.

To be fair, I’ve enjoyed some of Hinchcliffe’s comedy. There’s no denying that he’s quick-witted, and his roasts can be as hilarious as they are barbed. But there’s also no denying the simplistic mean-spiritedness of his rally jokes.

It’s one thing to roast people to their face, as Hinchcliffe does on Kill Tony, where they can respond with insults of their own. (In a good comedy roast, you must be willing to get as good as you give.) It’s quite another thing to insult disadvantaged folks from a distant position of power and privilege, and to do so in the service of a man like Donald Trump: A liar, narcissist, and abuser who has made it very clear that, should he become president again, he’ll seek to use his reacquired power and privilege for selfish and cruel ends.