October 28, 2024
NEW YORK CITY — New York City Mayor Eric Adams criticized former President Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, calling out the use of “hateful words” by an invited guest speaker, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. This is the response after Trump’s positive tribute to Adams, in which Trump defended the mayor over his handling of the migrant crisis in New York City and the corruption investigation against him just last week.
Earlier in the night, Trump lauded Adams for his leadership on the New York City migrant crisis: “Mayor Adams has been treated pretty badly. When he said that this whole thing with the migrants coming into New York, this is just not sustainable… we can’t do it. We’re trying to run a city; we got 100,000 migrants coming.” Trump added, “A year later, he got indicted,” referencing Adams’s recent legal struggles and the apparent political agenda.
After the rally, Fox News Digital called Adams for comment, but his office linked to an post he had published on X calling it a hate event. “The hateful words that were used by some at today’s rally at Madison Square Garden were completely unacceptable,” Adams wrote. He added, “No matter who says it, hate is hate, and there is no place for it in our city. As Americans, we should always stand up against racism, antisemitism, and misogyny.” Adams seemed to cite Hinchcliffe’s comments, which divided political parties.
Hinchcliffe’s Controversial Comments Draw Bipartisan Condemnation
Tony Hinchcliffe, a “roasting” type comedian, did some threatening jokes in advance of Trump’s speech. One comment compared Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage,” saying, “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” The Trump campaign quickly distanced itself from the joke: Senior Adviser Danielle Alvarez stated, “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
On top of his Puerto Rico comment, Hinchcliffe made a joke about Latino stereotypes: “These Latinos, they love making babies, too. Just know that they do. There’s no pulling out. They come inside, just like they did to our country.” The statements were scorned by Democrats and even some Republicans. Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a Republican, called the jokes “classless and in poor taste.”
Hinchcliffe hit back on X, addressing foes such as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who mocked him on a Twitch stream. Hinchcliffe brushed off criticism as overly sensitive: “These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist.”
Adams’s Migrant Crisis Stance and Legal Troubles
Mayor Adams’s attack on Trump’s rally comes as he struggles politically in his own way. Adams’s position on the federal government’s response to the migrant crisis last year was to declare a state of emergency. New York City, he insisted, couldn’t cope with the migrants that had entered the city, and had numbered almost 100,000. As Adams stressed the financial burden on the city, “We are past our breaking point… New Yorkers’ compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not.”
Adams’s public attacks on the Biden administration’s immigration policy led some to speculate that his new corruption accusations were politically motivated. Accused last month of soliciting illegal campaign donations from foreign governments and filing fraudulent documents to conceal those donations, Adams faces five-count indictment.
Trump had the same comment, joking about the indictment at his Madison Square Garden rally. “I think they upgraded his seat in an airplane. That’s a very serious charge,” Trump quipped. “They’ve upgraded my seat a lot, too… I used to fly commercial.” Adams has publicly stated that he believes his willingness to speak out on the migrant crisis contributed to his recent legal issues. “I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you, that I would be a target, and a target I became,” he said following the indictment.
The Growing Divide
While Adams and Trump may agree on the migrant crisis, their divergent political affiliations and recent exchanges reflect the growing divide on key issues within New York City. Adams’s condemnation of the rally’s tone underscores the complex relationship between local and federal leaders and the challenges facing New York as it contends with an ongoing influx of asylum seekers.
