Jennifer Lopez joined Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday and spoke out against remarks at a recent Trump rally that targeted Puerto Rico, her heritage, and the Latino community at large. Campaigning in Las Vegas, the pop star expressed outrage, saying, “Every Latino in this country was offended”.
The controversy kicked in after a comedian at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally made fun of Puerto Rico, calling the island a “floating island of garbage.” Lopez, whose parents are Puerto Rican, didn’t mince words, telling the crowd, “It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans who were offended. It was anybody who has any kind of humanity and a sense of decency.”
Lopez was anything but in a minority. Other stars from the island, such as Bad Bunny and Nicky Jam, respected voices in Latin music, felt appalled at the recent behavior by Trump. Bad Bunny recently posted on his social media the message from Harris for Puerto Rico. Nicky Jam rescinded his earlier endorsement of Trump.
The vice president’s push underlines an increasing gap between Trump and, particularly, Latino voters who have Puerto Rican heritage. Now that the campaign is in its homestretch, both Lopez and Harris are optimistic their uniting message, one of respect and empowerment that can reach all corners of this nation.
