Puerto Rican NFL player, Ex-Giant, defends racist rant during Trump rally at Madison Square Garden

The Trump campaign is under fire following racist comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
Puerto Ricans have expressed outrage, while pundits feel the scheduling gaffe could cost Trump the Puerto Rican vote, and hence, a return to the White House in January.
Yet, not all Puerto Ricans were appalled by Hinchcliffe’s “jokes,” which were tasteless and reflected the viewpoints of the MAGA movement that some opt to ignore.
Add San Francisco 49ers offensive guard Jonathan Feliciano to the list of voters who turned a blind eye to the blatant racism that precedes Trump.
“The only Puerto Ricans that are mad about @TonyHinchcliffe joke, are mad because it helps push their agenda. Tony’s joke was so soft compared to his usual material,” Feliciano wrote a fan who dubbed the guard “down with Bosa wearing a MAGA hat” on X.
The Trump campaign is working overtime to distance itself from Hinchcliffe and his jabs, but the damage has been done.
Sure, Trump did not make the jokes himself, but they were approved by Trump’s team, which hand-picked Hinchcliffe.
Feliciano is a prime example of dug-in voters who minimize issues that affect their communities, yet don’t fit their — like he said — political “agendas.”
A New York native whose father served as an MTA bus driver, Feliciano was drafted out of the University of Miami by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He had stints with the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants before joining the Niners in 2023.
Todderick Hunt covers Sports and Culture and Recruiting.