Reggaeton star Nicky Jam has rescinded his support for Donald Trump following the racist remarks made about Puerto Rico at the former president’s recent New York City rally.
The “Hasta el Amanecer” singer, 43, who in September campaigned alongside Trump at his Nevada rally, took to Instagram to retract his endorsement.
“The reason I supported Donald Trump is because I believed it was what’s best for the economy in the United States, where a lot of Latinos live… a lot of immigrants that are suffering over the state of the economy,” Jam said in Spanish. “With [Trump] being a businessman, I felt it was the right move.”
The artist, real name Nick Rivera Caminero, added that “never in his life” did he think that “a comedian would appear to criticize and talk badly about my [Puerto Rico].”
“That’s why I’m renouncing my support for Donald Trump and stepping away from any political conversation,” Jam said. “Puerto Rico deserves respect.”
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe sparked outrage over the weekend when he referred to the Caribbean island as “floating garbage” at Trump’s Madison Square Garden event.
“There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now,” Hinchcliffe said. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
Other prominent Puerto Rican artists, including Jennifer Lopez, Big Bunny and Ricky Martin, have also denounced the comedian’s comments.
“This is what they think of us. Vote for @kamalaharris,” Martin wrote on Instagram.
Rapper and singer Bad Bunny, meanwhile, threw his support behind Kamala Harris by posting the campaign video of her plans for Puerto Ricans to his Instagram account.
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He shared a clip where Harris said: “I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader.”
Trump has since tried to distance himself from the comedian, claiming that he doesn’t know Hinchcliffe.
“I don’t know him, someone put him up there. I don’t know who he is,” Trump told ABC’s senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott, before insisting that he did not hear Hinchcliffe’s offensive joke.
The Trump campaign has also tried to distance itself from Hinchcliffe’s remarks, with spokesperson Danielle Alvarez saying in a statement: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”