Jennifer Lopez is scheduled to speak at an upcoming campaign rally in Las Vegas for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, amid ongoing controversy surrounding a racially charged joke made at a Donald Trump rally.
The rally, set for Thursday, will feature Lopez discussing “the importance of voting, what’s at stake for the country with this election,” as well as her support for Harris and vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, according to the Harris campaign. Mexican rock band Maná will also perform at the event, emphasizing the rally’s outreach to Latino voters.
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Earlier this week, Lopez publicly endorsed Harris following backlash over a recent remark made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden. Hinchcliffe sparked controversy when he referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, who has also endorsed Harris, responded by sharing an emotionally charged video about Puerto Rico with his 45.7 million Instagram followers, captioning it “garbage” in reaction to Hinchcliffe’s remarks. Similarly, singer Ricky Martin expressed his dismay, posting to his 18.5 million Instagram followers, “This is what they think of us. Vote for @kamalaharris.”
Former Trump administration staffer Matthew Bartlett called the incident “mass political suicide.” Florida Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar voiced her anger over the remarks, stating she was “disgusted,” while Republican Senator Rick Scott noted, “The joke bombed for a reason.” Ángel Cintrón, president of the Puerto Rican GOP, added, “If Donald Trump doesn’t apologize, we won’t vote for him.”
Amid mounting pressure, Trump addressed the situation on the campaign trail on Tuesday, stating, “I don’t know him, someone put him up there. I don’t know who he is,” and asserted he hadn’t heard the comments.
Following reports claiming he labeled Trump supporters “garbage,” Joe Biden clarified his statement on a Zoom call with Latino supporters: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s – his – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.”
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