At a rally on Oct. 27 in Madison Square Garden, former President Donald Trump and several other conservative guest speakers chose to wrap up the final weeks of the presidential campaign season with a throwback compilation of history’s greatest hits of racist rhetoric.
One of the most notable comments of the event was comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s poorly received comparison of the island of Puerto Rico to phenomena like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. However, the derogatory remarks were not directed solely at Hispanic and Latine communities, which the Trump campaign had previously attempted to court over the past several months.
Hinchcliffe’s jokes seemed to attack any and all marginalized groups that could come to the comedian’s mind. In one set of remarks, Hinchcliffe addressed the Israel-Palestine war and managed to be derogatory to both sides of the conflict with comments that rehashed old stereotypes of both Jewish people and Palestinians.
While attempting to argue that the Trump campaign was not discriminatory toward Black Americans, Hinchcliffe went out of his way to mention that he had eaten watermelon with a Black friend of his at a recent party — a stunning bout of Jim Crow-era originality on the comedian’s part.
As the site of a 1939 Nazi rally, Madison Square Garden has seen its fair share of divisive, bigoted rhetoric. The statements made during the Trump campaign rally, however, cause one to wonder if any time has passed at all. Former Trump Aide Stephen Miller, for example, echoed sentiments from 85 years prior that “America is for Americans and Americans only.”
At the same time, across the nation, the idea that we do not need diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is also growing. Boeing recently became the latest in a long line of corporations that have chosen to eliminate their DEI practices, many due to perceived external pressure.
Alabama Senate Bill 129 also went into effect last month, one of several recent measures prohibiting colleges and universities from, “promoting, sponsoring, or maintaining DEI offices and programs.”
This, other pieces of legislation like it and the nationwide corporate rollbacks of DEI programming could simply be seen as companies and institutions ridding themselves of unnecessary activities. However, this argument could only be made if such activities were, truly, unnecessary.
The comments made at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally were not just words. They are part of a long-lasting rhetoric that has fueled hate for marginalized groups for generations. With the all-too-recent bomb threats directed at immigrant communities in Ohio, it is clear that this rhetoric will continue to have real, harmful consequences.
Aside from the abhorrent rhetoric that they perpetuate, a noteworthy aspect of these remarks is that they were not coming from Trump alone. From former White House officials to well-known media personalities, these shocking comments were not just voiced by a few extremists. Rather, they reflected broader attitudes that are growing in influence each day.
Regardless of party, this week’s election will present voters with choices, both local and national, that will directly steer how our nation handles racial, gender and sexual diversity, as well as diversity of opinion.
