'I apologize to absolutely nobody': comedian stands firm on Puerto Rico jab

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe in a podcast released Tuesday defended his joke about Puerto Rico that landed him in hot water during President-elect Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden last month. 

Hinchcliffe commented that there was a "floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico," during the rally. Hinchcliffe was a warm-up act for the former president.

The comedian doubled down on the jab on his podcast, which was filmed the day after the October rally, and stated that Puerto Ricans were being used as "political fodder," in the joke's aftermath. 

“I love Puerto Ricans, they’re very smart people. They’re smart, they’re street smart, and they’re smart enough to know when they’re being used as political fodder,” Hinchcliffe said at the beginning of the latest episode of his “Kill Tony” podcast. “And right now that is happening. And, uh, I apologize to absolutely nobody."

“Not to the Puerto Ricans, not to the whites, not to the blacks, not to the Palestinians, not to the Jews, and not to my own mother, who I made fun of during the set,” he continued, per Politico.

The comedian admitted that the location for the set might not have been ideal, but said the joke was part of what he does, "I go hard." 

He also commented that the joke was about full landfills in Puerto Rico, “I guess I’m the only person that knew about this, unfortunately."

The Trump campaign attempted to distance itself from the joke in a statement after the jab faced widespread condemnation and backlash, claiming the comment does not "reflect the views" of Trump or his campaign.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.