Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul claimed Saturday evening on MSNBC that New York voters who support Republicans are “anti-American,” referencing comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke at former President Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.
Republicans and Trump faced backlash last weekend after Hinchcliffe, performing on the rally stage, referred to Puerto Rico as a floating “island of garbage.” On “PoliticsNation,” host Rev. Al Sharpton asked Hochul for her thoughts on the joke and what message she believed it sent to New York voters.
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“I was disgusted by, first of all, the lineup of individuals who spewed such venom and hatred about every person you could imagine — whether it’s women [or] people of color. Now to single out Puerto Ricans? I’m so proud to represent one of the largest Puerto Rican populations in our country,” Hochul said. “You know what he does by not disavowing this, by not condemning this? Which he should have done and I called him out to do this. He just makes people feel that they’re not worthwhile, that they don’t have value.”
“I know this because literally right after this, I went up to east Harlem. I walked the streets. I was surrounded by people who had come from Puerto Rico — these are American citizens by the way, American citizens,” Hochul added. “They were so hurt and this was so painful for them. [There were] so many hugs, and people said, ‘We are so glad you came out here, governor, because we felt dehumanized.’ You do not think, in this great country, that we should have leader who either say this themselves or tolerate it at one of their rallies.”
Hochul went on to say that she not only believed the rally “backfired” on the former president, but also scolded voters supporting Republicans in the state, claiming they were anti-abortion, anti-woman, and against American values.
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“I think this rally backfired on him and it gives me as someone leading the effort in our state to ensure we flip the battleground seats. It gave me a chance to tie the Republicans running for these seats closer to Donald Trump and remind everybody if you are voting for these Republicans in New York, you are voting for someone who supports Donald Trump and you are anti-woman, you are anti-abortion, basically, you are anti-American. Because you have just trashed American values and what our country is all about over and over and over. You will wear this on Election Day,” Hochul concluded.
Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik has called out the Democratic governor, posting on X Saturday evening that the Democratic Party is an “absolute disgrace” and encouraging state voters to support Trump and Republicans down the ballot.
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“Now Kamala Harris’ top surrogate Kathy Hochul – the Worst and most unpopular Governor in America – calls voters “anti-women” and even “anti-American” if they support Republican candidates,” Stefanik wrote. “The Democrat Party led by Kamala Harris is an absolute disgrace as they smear American patriots who want to save our country by supporting President Trump and Republicans.”
Following the rally, Trump campaign senior advisor Danielle Alvarez distanced the former president away from the incident, noting the joke “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
However, Democrats and corporate media have pushed back against the rhetoric, with President Joe Biden referring to Trump supporters as “garbage” Wednesday evening during a Zoom interview with nonprofit organization Voto Latino. The president additionally made a comment during a Pennsylvania campaign trail event, stating Trump and “his Republican friends” were someone “you’d like to smack in the ass.”
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First published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.