Google Searches for Comedian Who Told Racist Jokes at Trump Rally Surpass Taylor Swift

Not agelong aft comedian Tony Hinchcliffe appeared astatine Donald Trump’s monolithic Madison Square Garden rally this play and called Puerto Rico an “island of floating garbage,” the net came live with Google searches for his name. In fact, arsenic Nate Silver points out, searches for Hinchcliffe person eclipsed those for Taylor Swift. The evident accusation would look to beryllium that tons of radical had nary thought who Hinchcliffe was and were swiftly trying to ascertain the individuality of the feline who had conscionable insulted the island.

Hinchcliffe’s comments person acceptable disconnected a governmental firestorm, with immoderate commentators even questioning whether the viral remarks—which are definite to offend immoderate members of America’s sizable Puerto Rican population—could outgo Trump the election. Problematically for the Trump camp, 2022 census information shows the U.S. has astir 5.9 cardinal radical surviving successful it that ethnically place arsenic Puerto Rican. Indeed, adjacent to fractional a cardinal Puerto Ricans unrecorded successful the intimately watched plaything authorities of Pennsylvania alone.

The viral jokes had important political after-effects, with galore politicians—both Democrats and Republicans alike—decrying it. The Trump run has distanced itself from Hinchcliffe (a typical told Fox: “This gag does not bespeak the views of President Trump oregon the campaign”), contempt presumably vetting his worldly earlier it went live. The gag besides seemingly inspired Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny—considered 1 of the most fashionable artists among Gen-Z Americans—to endorse Kamala Harris for President.

In summation to outrage, Hinchcliffe’s gag seems to person inspired a batch of confusion—or astatine slightest interest—from droves of people, immoderate of which had apt ne'er heard of the comedian. Below is simply a screenshot of the parallel Google hunt stats of Taylor Swift and Hinchcliffe, with Hinchcliffe’s results represented successful blue:

© screenshot Gizmodo

Google Analytics related to Hinchcliffe shows immoderate absorbing determination metrics. In Florida, for instance, wherever immoderate 1.2 cardinal Puerto Ricans live, Hinchcliffe’s nationality was a apical Google search. The Miami Herald, 1 of Florida’s largest newspapers, has reported that section politicians, including those who enactment Trump, person travel retired to decry Hinchcliffe’s comments. One U.S. Representative, Maria Elvira Salazar, of Miami, said she was “disgusted” by the joke. La Mesa Boricua de Florida, a Puerto Rican governmental advocacy radical based successful Florida, was quoted arsenic saying: “Trump indispensable not hide that successful Florida astir 800,000 Puerto Ricans person the quality to workout their close to vote.”

That said, Google Search involvement seems to person been astir heavy concentrated successful predominantly “blue” states, signaling that wide denizens of those environs hadn’t heard of Hinchcliffe oregon his marque of edgelord-comedy. Searches were highest successful Washington D.C., New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and California. Hinchcliffe seems to beryllium rather fashionable with definite demographics, arsenic his podcast has astir 2 cardinal subscribers connected YouTube.

Hinchcliffe didn’t conscionable belittle America’s land territory connected Sunday. He also made a gag astir a Black assemblage subordinate and watermelon (“Look astatine this guy, ohio my goodness. Wow. I’m conscionable kidding, that’s 1 of my buddies. He had a Halloween enactment past night. We had fun. We carved watermelons together”), shared his thoughts astir the links betwixt Hispanics, immigration, and commencement control (“These Latinos, they emotion making babies too, conscionable cognize that. They do. They do. There’s nary pulling out. They don’t bash that. They travel inside, conscionable similar they did to our country”), and adjacent dipped his toed successful the Israeli Palestinian struggle (he referred to Palestinians arsenic “rock throwers,” and made a gag astir Jews being stingy). Truly a cringe gauntlet of hacky material.

The comedian’s radical comments person gotten him successful occupation before. In 2021, helium was “canceled,” aft helium referred to comedian Peng Dang—who had introduced him astatine a standup lawsuit successful Austin—as a “filthy small fucking chink.” Dang aboriginal told USA Today that helium was offended by Hinchcliffe’s remarks: “Tony ne'er came up to me, talked to maine oregon apologized. I don’t deliberation helium thinks that was offensive,” helium said. Not agelong aft the incidental went viral, Hinchcliffe was dropped by his agents. Now, Hinchcliffe has his ain podcast (Kill Tony) and has buddied up with podcast king Joe Rogan. Indeed, an old Rogan clip circulated connected X connected Monday successful which the podcast big suggested that Trump get Hinchcliffe to constitute him immoderate jokes.

It’s hard to construe what, exactly, the Trump run was hoping to execute with its MSG rally. In the mainstream media, the rally was wide referred to arsenic a quasi-“fascist” invocation of the MAGA movement’s astir odious tendencies. That said, lots of worldly happens astatine Madison Square Garden. Many presidents person held their rallies there, and Cyndi Lauper is acceptable to play determination aboriginal this week. Just due to the fact that a big, large governmental rally was held astatine New York’s premiere events center, doesn’t mean that it was meant to emulate the notorious 1939 pro-Nazi rally that was held astatine the aforesaid location. Having said that, a full batch of racist and sexist worldly got said connected Sunday, and the wide code (for this viewer, astatine least) truly felt similar 1 of swiftly encroaching darkness. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has told aggregate quality networks that she feels the rally was an effort to rile up the uglier parts of the Trump base. Perhaps the run conscionable saw it arsenic different mode for Trump to marque viral content. I conjecture ngo accomplished, connected that front.