Jennifer Lopez says ‘every Latino in this country’ is offended by Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden

CNN
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Jennifer Lopez, who campaigned with Kamala Harris in Nevada on Thursday, said Donald Trump’s campaign had offended “every Latino in this country” with its Sunday rally at Madison Square Garden, where a comedian mocked Puerto Rico.

The pop star and actress’ comments at Harris’ rally in Las Vegas came as outrage continued to resound over the pro-Trump comedian calling the US island territory of Puerto Rico – where Lopez’s parents were born – a “floating island of trash” mentioned.

“At Madison Square Garden, he reminded us who he really is and how he really feels,” Lopez said of Trump. “It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans who felt offended that day, okay? It was every Latino in this country, it was humanity and anyone of decent character.”

Harris’ stop in Las Vegas with Lopez came during a drive through the hotly contested western battlegrounds of Arizona and Nevada – where CNN polls earlier this week showed extraordinarily close races without a clear leader.

The vice president has deployed a growing list of celebrities and musicians with huge social media followings in the closing days of the race as her campaign aims to reach key constituencies — including black voters in Georgia and Latinos in the West. That list ranges from music legends Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen, who have performed at Harris events in Georgia, to the stars of Marvel’s “Avengers” films, who supported the vice president on social media Thursday.

But the most impactful support could come from Puerto Rican stars like Lopez, who have become more vocal since Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden.

“This is our country too,” Lopez said Thursday evening.

At one point she fought back tears.

“You know what? We have to be emotional. We should be angry. We should be afraid and outraged. We should. Our pain is important. We matter,” Lopez said. “Your vote and your voice matter.”

Other Puerto Rican celebrities have also been critical of Trump in recent days.

Bad Bunny, one of the world’s biggest Latin music stars, shared Harris’ platform for Puerto Rico on social media on Sunday. And reggaeton star Nicky Jam, who had previously appeared on stage with Trump, withdrew his support for the former president, saying: “Puerto Rico must be respected.”

Trump has long tried to make inroads with black and Latino men. Particularly in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania, a significant portion of the fast-growing Latino population is of Puerto Rican descent.

Harris’ campaign launched a Spanish-language ad on Thursday aimed at reaching Latino voters, highlighting comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comment at the Trump rally.

“Puerto Rico is an island of scientists, poets, teachers, stars and heroes,” the ad’s narrator says in Spanish. “We are not waste, we are more.”

The Trump campaign has attempted to distance itself from Hinchcliffe, with Trump campaign spokesperson Danielle Alvarez saying in a statement after the meeting: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

And Trump’s campaign has tried to draw attention to another “nonsense” comment — referencing President Joe Biden’s comment on Tuesday night that was interpreted by many as referring to Trump supporters as “nonsense.” (The White House and Biden quickly tried to clarify the comment, saying the president was referring to “supporters,” as in the comedian, and the rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally.)

Harris said in Las Vegas that Trump is “all about hate and division.” She said if re-elected, he would reinstate a policy that led to migrant families being separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Lopez repeatedly said Harris “gets it” — saying she understands what it means for immigrant families to pursue the American dream because her parents were also immigrants.

She also said she believes “in the power of women.”

“Women have the power to make a difference in these elections,” Lopez said.

The singer’s comments came on the same day that Harris seized on Trump’s comment the night before in Wisconsin that he will protect women “whether the women like it or not.” He said he would protect them “from the arrival of migrants” and “from foreign countries with missiles and much more.”

The vice president told reporters Thursday that Trump’s comment is “deeply offensive to women, in terms of not understanding their agency, their authority, their right and their ability to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies .”

She pointed to Trump’s appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade’s national protection of abortion rights. Trump said earlier this month he would veto a national abortion ban, but has wavered on the issue in the past, and many Republican-led states have imposed their own restrictive laws.

Polls show there could be a historic gender divide in this year’s election, with a majority of men supporting Trump and women supporting Harris — a reality that will undercut Harris’ emphasis on an issue that has proven powerful with voters. especially women, since the Supreme Court ruling declares in 2022. decision.

While campaigning in Reno, Nevada, on Thursday, Harris again brought up Trump’s comments, calling them “outrageous.”

“This is someone who simply does not respect women’s freedom or women’s intelligence to make decisions about their own lives,” she said.

CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Nikki Carvajal, Samantha Waldenberg, DJ Judd and Ebony Davis contributed to this report.