Puerto Rican reggaeton star Nicky Jam has withdrawn its support Donald Trump On Wednesday, he told his followers that he can no longer support the Republican candidate after racist comments from Tony Hinchcliffe during a rally last weekend.
“The reason I supported Donald Trump is because I believed it was what was best for the economy in the United States, where many Latinos live, including myself…many immigrants who are suffering because of the state of the economy,” Jam said in Spanish. “Since Trump is a businessman, I felt this was the right move.”
Jam himself had previously appeared at a Trump rally, where he was introduced (and misnamed) by the Republican candidate who told the crowd he was announcing the endorsement of “Latin music superstar Nicky Jam” and said, “do you know Nicky?” She’s hot!’ On stage, the musician posed for photos next to Trump.
In his video Wednesday, Jam went on to say that he “never in his life” expected “a comedian to come out and criticize and talk bad about my (Puerto Rico).”
He added: “That is why I am renouncing my support for Donald Trump and stepping away from any political conversation. Puerto Rico deserves respect.”
Hinchcliffe, a podcaster and comedian, made several racist comments at a Trump rally on Sunday, including when he told the crowd, “I don’t know if you guys know this, but there is literally a floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean. ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
Many prominent Puerto Rican stars have criticized the commentsincluding Aubrey Plaza, Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin.
“Luckily my dear abuelita wasn’t there to hear that disgusting comment,” Plaza said this on Tuesdayaccording to a video of the event. “But if she were alive today, I think she’d be saying, ‘Tony Hinchcliffe, go fuck yourself.’ And yes, The Wall Street Journal can quote me on that.”