Why Trump’s racist rally – and the election – hit so close to home

When comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made his now infamous racist joke at Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden — “There’s literally a floating island full of trash in the middle of the ocean right now, I think it’s called Puerto Rico” — he chose ” the wrong way’. people,” actor Rosie Perez told the Daily Beast.

“Puerto Ricans have contributed a lot to this country, and one thing is that we don’t accept c**p,” Perez said. “We just don’t do that. Everyone about us knows that. Conservative, liberal, moderate, whatever – our pride comes first.”

Hinchcliffe’s joke and the tone and content of last Sunday’s meeting continue to cause waves of controversy.

Perez was “shocked” to hear Hinchcliffe’s words, as well as the vituperative, openly expressed bigotry of the rest of the event. “It was supposed to be a political rally, so I thought there would be some decorum on stage,” Perez said. “We may have differences in policies, but when you take things like that into account, it changes the game.

“I was honestly outraged and hurt,” she added. “People don’t talk about how much racism hurts, and I think that’s why you’re seeing such a huge backlash. But there’s also a huge backlash because that comedian picked the wrong people. People say Trump didn’t say it. Well, he certainly didn’t denounce it. (Trump has said he didn’t know Hinchcliffe, and that the MSG rally was a “love fest.”)

Perez said Trump “could have had his John McCain moment,” referring to the moment in the 2008 presidential campaign when McCain challenged a woman who disparaged Barack Obama at a town hall. “He literally took the microphone away from her and said, ‘No, he’s a decent family man.’”

Perez notes that the hatred on the MSG stage was not directed exclusively at Puerto Ricans. “There were disparaging comments about African Americans, Jewish people and Palestinians and women. Trump had such an opportunity and he blew it, and now he is trying to take advantage of Joe Biden’s ‘garbage misstep’. But that can’t be because Biden came out and corrected himself immediately. Trump didn’t do that.

“When Kamala (Harris) says, ‘We’re not going back,’ to me that means we’re not going back to hating each other and tearing this country apart because of ideology. It should be above policy. There’s a difference, folks. It’s so painful. I hope people wake up, because I mean, how many groups were offended at that meeting? Don’t think that you might not be next.”

Perez said. “I have family members who are Trump supporters. There was a kind of radio silence after the meeting. Usually they come back and say something to me: ‘Yes, but what about Kamala,’ what about this, what about that. After Madison Square Garden there was nothing for three days. It was pretty incredible.”

The meeting, Perez said, had clearly “struck a chord. The three days of radio silence spoke volumes to me.”

There were other Trump supporters in Perez’s family who responded more quickly: “I’m still Republican, but I’m not trash,” as she summed up their response. “They were very angry that Trump didn’t come on stage and say, ‘Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, that’s not cool.’ One thing about Puerto Rican people: you can knock us down, but we’ll get back up every time. I have two family members who were going to vote for him and have changed their minds after these comments.”

Perez said she told one of her pro-Trump relatives, “Listen, if you still want to vote for this person, that’s your right. But can you at least admit that what happened at Madison Square Garden was wrong? Can you at least give me that? she laughed. “If Megyn Kelly can say it and Nikki Haley and even Rick Scott can say it, come on! As a Puerto Rican, can’t you even say that?’

Perez noted that she wouldn’t go to the polls with every individual and so couldn’t estimate how much impact the rally would have on other pro-Trump family members and voters, but “I would say, as Americans… which Puerto Ricans are – I think that it also resonated in a very, very personal way, because it’s about a person’s character.

“I’m not talking about that Tony guy (Hinchcliffe). I’m talking about the person trying to lead this country. I think some people have already made up their minds and they will still vote for Trump. There’s probably a small percentage that will say, ‘You know what, that’s it, that’s the last straw.’

Perez said she remained in an ongoing debate with her pro-Trump family members.

“They say, ‘I’m still going to ride with him.’ I’m like, ‘Wow, really?’ It’s very disappointing. They say voting for Trump is about the economy, and I say, ‘Have you read the news lately? The economy is doing very well.’

“They say, ‘Well, inflation is sky high.’ I say, ‘No, it really came down. What are you doing?’ We are ahead of all major countries in the world. The United States has survived the worst pandemic of our lifetimes and is thriving. Those are just facts. France is suffering. Britain is suffering. Germany is suffering. Okay, we can do better, but we’re doing well.”

Her pro-Trump relatives also say they are voting for him over the immigration issue. “Well, I agree with you,” Perez said of her response to that. “I don’t think the Biden administration has handled that very well, but at least they have admitted their mistake and tried to correct it. Trump never admits a mistake. He never admits he’s wrong. That is a testament to his character.”

Perez said she also listened to the warnings of those who worked under Trump, such as retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly, who recently called him a “fascist” — and to the testimonies of many others.

“You have to listen to people who used to work for Trump and honestly believed in him. I don’t believe they are all racists. I think people really believe in this man’s mission. Now they’re coming out of the woodwork saying, ‘Stop, don’t vote for him. Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!'”

About Trump himself, Perez said: “I just don’t think he has good character. No way. I don’t know this man personally, but my relatives who supported him initially thought he really wanted to do something good for the country. But time and time again he has proven that he is not a good person, and after January 6, I told my family, ‘You have no arguments. It’s done, because we’ve had an uprising. It’s just very, very scary.”

Perez emphasized that she sees herself as a moderate rather than a liberal.

“I’m certainly not a liberal. Some of my liberal friends want me to go on the offensive. I tell them that I have seen the disappointment and pain of family members and friends who once supported Trump. I don’t want to go too fast, I just want them to open their eyes and see for themselves. I just want to talk about policy and character. I’m tired of it. I don’t want to argue with my family. I love my family. I love my friends. We are just different.”

Will she vote for Harris?

“Oh yes, I made that clear.”

Perez said that when deciding who to vote for, people, Puerto Rican or not, need to understand that “it’s not just about what happened at Madison Square Garden. That was just a turning point. It’s about the totality of Trump’s influence since 2016. Vote with your conscience, vote with your heart, and vote back on the nature of what it means to be an American. We used to have this image of people with character and dignity. Let’s vote for that again. We can continue to agree and disagree, but let’s not continue to hate each other. It’s fucking exhausting and it’s fucking painful.

“When family members call me and cry and say, ‘Please don’t think I don’t like Puerto Rico because I’m still going to vote for him,’ what the hell is going on? “Please, I still love you,” they say. I say, ‘I still love you too. I’m disappointed, but I still love you too. Come over on Monday because I’m going to try to change your mind.” Perez laughed softly.

Is she worried about the future of the country if Trump wins?

“Yes, I’m concerned,” Perez said. “But the good thing about the country is that we have a constitution, we have a democracy, and I hope and pray that we can rely on that – and that if he happens to win, which I don’t think he will, we will just put on my seat belt and after another four years it’s gone, it’s gone. And I think the Republican party would be happy too. I am not biased. I don’t believe in the bulls dogma to tear us apart, I don’t believe that. But what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong – and that has to stand for something.’

Perez said she remained determined, within her family and friendship circles, to “keep the dialogue open.” I was talking to one of my family members today, and that family member was just silent on the phone. I ended the conversation by saying, “I love you and after Tuesday you will still be my family member, and we will still fight, and we will still laugh, and we will still love each other.” We can’t let this person destroy us. You gave that person too much power. ”

Perez paused. “I just hope that whatever happens, we start to heal, you know.”