ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh Valley elected officials are expressing outrage ahead of President Donald Trump's rally at the PPL Center Tuesday after speakers at this Sunday rally in New York City unleashed racist and sexist rhetoric.
The Trump campaign has disavowed comments by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who during opening remarks at Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden said Latinos "love making babies" and called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage."
Hinchfliffe, known for the comedy podcast "Kill Tony," said he welcomed immigrants of all backgrounds with open arms while waving his arms in a manner signaling to stop and go back.
Hinchcliffe's remarks have drawn condemnations across the political aisle, but they may prove particularly out-of-touch ahead of Trump's rally in the Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.
Allentown is a minority-majority city, and more than 33,500 of its residents identified as Puerto Rican in the 2020 Census.
Pennsylvania, perhaps the most coveted battleground state this election cycle, has the fourth-largest Puerto Rican population by state.
Some of the Lehigh Valley's highest-profile elected officials — all of them Democrats — were quick to push back against the comments and encouraged their followers on social media to make their voices heard at the polls.