Latin music superstar Nicky Jam rescinded his endorsement of former President Trump on Wednesday following a comedian’s joke about Puerto Rico during a campaign rally.
Why it matters: Jam, who has nearly 44 million followers on Instagram, drew criticism when he endorsed Trump at a rally in Las Vegas last month.
- Revoking his endorsement is another example of the ongoing fallout from Sunday’s Trump rally at Madison Square Garden.
Driving the news: In a Spanish-language Instagram video posted Wednesday, Jam says he had endorsed Trump because he thought he was the best option for the economy.
- But “never in my life did I think” a comedian at a Trump rally would make fun of Puerto Ricans,” Jam added.
- He ended the short video by saying Puerto Rico should be respected.
State of play: The fallout from the racist joke calling Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage” — as well as other bigoted jokes about Latinos in the U.S. — has not abated, with other Puerto Rican celebrities, Republicans and Democrats denouncing comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s set.
- Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin and Don Omar, some of the biggest Puerto Rican artists, all shared their support for Harris following the event.
- “Trump has shown us, time and again, what he thinks of us,” Don Omar wrote in an Instagram post.
- El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico’s largest newspaper, endorsed Harris on Tuesday.
The other side: Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a statement: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
