“These Latinos also love having babies. You just have to know that they do it,” said Tony Hinchcliffe, one of the 30 warm-up speakers during Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden. “There’s no way to withdraw. They don’t do that. They c-- inside, just like they did with our country.”
Another derogatory comment was made towards Puerto Rico: "A lot of things are happening. I don't know if you are aware, but right now there is literally an island of garbage in the middle of the ocean. I think it's called Puerto Rico."
Who is Tony Hinchcliffe?
Most people didn't know him until he made "jokes" about Latinos and Puerto Rico, mentioning the latter as a "floating garbage", during Donald Trump's campaign event in New York. In the 24 hours following his performance, Hinchcliffe has been heavily criticized.
He was born in Youngstown, Ohio, and is 40 years old. Currently, he lives between Austin, Texas, and Los Angeles, California. According to the comedian's official website, he has a podcast called Kill Tony.
"Tony is a regular at all the major clubs in Los Angeles and regularly headlines at all the major clubs, as well as some of the top theaters in the United States, Australia, and Europe," adds tonyhinchcliffe.com.
The meaning of "roasting" is to cook food, typically meat, by exposing it to direct heat, either over an open fire or in an oven. It can also refer to the act of teasing or making fun of someone in a good-natured way.
Hinchcliffe is an expert in the comedy style known as "roasting", where an individual or guest is the target of jokes at their expense. During his performances, he specializes in insulting his colleagues or members of the audience.
Hinchcliffe also worked writing scripts for the Comedy Central Roasts program and participated in "battles" dedicated to this type of comedy in various comedy clubs.
However, Trump's comments at the rally have not been the only ones of this style. In May 2021, he debuted his comedy set with anti-Asian racial insults directed at the comedian who had preceded him.