EGN NEWS DESK
Badvert Bunny threw his assist behind Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday by sharing a video of the Democratic presidential nominee shortly after a comic at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally made crude jokes about Latinos and referred to as Puerto Rico a “floating island of rubbish,” angering artists and a few Hispanic Republicans.
Bad Bunny, whose official identify is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is likely one of the most well-known artists of the second.
The video Bad Bunny shared along with his 45 million Instagram followers reveals Harris saying “there’s a lot at stake on this election for Puerto Rican voters and for Puerto Rico.” A consultant of the artist confirmed that Bad Bunny is supporting Harris.
Bad Bunny signaled his assist moments after comic Tony Hinchcliffe made the remarks on Puerto Rico. Later, Hinchcliffe stated “these Latinos, they love making infants” and stated they don’t use the pull-out contraception technique.
The feedback on Puerto Rico had been instantly criticized by Harris’ marketing campaign, however had been additionally referred to as out by Angel Cintron, the pinnacle of the GOP on the island, and Republican U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, who represents components of Miami and has participated in current Trump occasions.
Salazar wrote: “Disgusted by @TonyHinchcliffe’s racist remark calling Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of rubbish.’ This rhetoric doesn’t mirror GOP values. Puerto Rico despatched 48,000+ troopers to Vietnam, with over 345 Purple Hearts awarded. This bravery deserves respect. Educate your self!”
Trump marketing campaign spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez in a press release stated “this joke doesn’t mirror the views of President Trump or the marketing campaign.”
Luis Fonsi, a Puerto Rican artist who sings the hit “Despacito,” went on Instagram and wrote “taking place this racist path ain’t it.”
“We are usually not OK with this fixed hate,” he wrote in a message shared on Instagram. “It’s been abundantly clear that these individuals don’t have any respect for us.”
Ricky Martin, who had beforehand endorsed Harris, was additionally offended by the remark and stated “that’s what they consider us,” on Instagram.
In exhibiting assist, Bad Bunny shared a number of occasions one other a part of the clip Harris made on Puerto Rico, saying “I’ll always remember what Donald Trump did and what he didn’t do when Puerto Rico wanted a caring and a reliable chief.”
The 30-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton artist, who has standard songs reminiscent of “Dakiti” and “Titi Me Preguntó,” has gained three Grammy Awards. He was probably the most streamed artist on Spotify in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and was solely surpassed by Taylor Swift in 2023. He was named Artist of the Year by Apple Music in 2022.
The Puerto Rican vote is sizable in Pennsylvania, which is arguably the toughest fought of the swing states within the 2024 election. Other Puerto Rican singers reminiscent of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony had already expressed assist for Harris. Trump has additionally attracted assist from different standard stars from the island reminiscent of Anuel AA and Nicky Jam.
Read More: How Latino Voters Could Decide the Election—and How Trump and Harris Are Courting Them
Bad Bunny has been vocal about criticizing Puerto Rico’s electrical system, which was razed by Hurricane Maria. In a 2022 music video for his music “El Apagon,” the artist referred to as out the corporate Luma Energy, which handles transmission and distribution, for the fixed energy outages that plague the island.
One of his most up-to-date songs, “Una Velita,” can also be a protest towards the federal government response following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017.
A yr after the storm, public well being specialists estimated that almost 3,000 perished due to the results of Hurricane Maria. But Trump, whose efforts to assist the island territory get better have been persistently criticized, repeatedly questioned that quantity saying it rose “like magic.”
His go to to the island after the hurricane elicited controversy reminiscent of when he tossed paper towels. His administration launched $13 billion in help years later, simply weeks earlier than the 2020 presidential election. And a federal authorities watchdog discovered that officers hampered an investigation into delays in help supply.
Bad Bunny additionally shared part of the clip exhibiting Harris saying that Trump “deserted the island, tried to dam help after back-to-back devastating hurricanes and provided nothing greater than paper towels and insults.”
Harris visited a Puerto Rican restaurant in North Philadelphia earlier on Sunday and launched her coverage associated to the island saying she desires to create a job power to draw funding to repair {the electrical} grid. And Trump is headed on Tuesday to Allentown, Pennsylvania, the place greater than half of its inhabitants is Hispanic and a majority of them from Puerto Rico.
In 2020, Bad Bunny allowed the Biden marketing campaign to make use of one in every of his hits “Pero Ya No” in a TV advert.
