While Democrats traditionally have stronger support from Latino and Hispanic voters than their Republican counterparts, Trump appears to be making inroads into the demographic in the polls, threatening the key base Harris likely needs to edge the former president in the election. That’s one reason why he spent part of Sunday visiting a local Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia and posted social media videos about his vision of the island as a U.S. territory. Approximately 500,000 Puerto Ricans live in Pennsylvania.

But those close to the Puerto Rican community here say the juxtaposition of that aid with the incendiary remarks at Trump’s rally could be far more important than Harris’ plans.

“We’re going to kick his ass,” Lozada said. “People are being insulted. People are angry. People are being hurt. People don’t believe that someone who asked them to vote for him would allow such behavior on a national platform.”

Trump has been using provocative rhetoric against Hispanics and Latin Americans for a long time. Trump during his time as president He drew the ire of many in Puerto Rican society for his handling of Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island in 2017, and for his delays in delivering aid to the region. Still, with his economic message and the passage of time, he won back some voters.

But there was some evidence Sunday that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comments at the opening act of a Madison Square Garden rally, which also denigrated Jews and Black Americans, were groundbreaking.

Kenny Perez, 32, is a Philly resident who works at Freddy and Tony’s, the Puerto Rican restaurant Harris visited on Sunday. HE missed the visit but said he planned to vote for Harris after not voting in past elections. He said it was the first time he felt it was worth it. Perez said she hopes she will make history as the first female president and fulfill her promise to help Latinos.

He said he hadn’t thought about Trump beforehand, but quickly saw his rally remarks while scrolling through TikTok on Sunday night. He was aware that Trump was supported by Puerto Rican artists Anuel AA and Justin Quiles, but felt that allowing comedian lyrics under his banner would undermine that support.

“I felt like this guy was crazy,” Perez said. “I couldn’t believe it because how could you say something like that at a Trump rally in New York? This definitely won’t happen. “I believe this will reduce the Hispanic vote.”

Trump campaign told the Associated Press The joke does not reflect his or the campaign’s views.. His running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, said at a rally in Wisconsin that he didn’t see the joke and “maybe it’s just a stupid racist joke.” . . Maybe not.”

Vance concluded: “I won’t comment on the details of the joke, but I think we need to stop getting so offended by every little thing in the United States.”

A Republican strategist who previously worked on Hispanic aid to Trump also downplayed the idea that the comments would make a difference.

“I don’t think a failed stand-up comedy show is going to move the needle,” Giancarlo Sopo said. wrote About X. “Hispanics are much more bothered by grocery prices, and our culture is not PC.”

Following Trump’s statements, Puerto Rican music superstar Bad Bunny Kamala Harris shared a video in which she told her 45 million followers about her plans for the island and the community.like other Puerto Rican artists with large followings.

Organizers say they believe the comments and reactions to them have an immediate impact, especially this close to the election.

“We’re going to understand that yesterday is going to be a very important day in the campaign,” said former Illinois representative Luis Gutierrez, who has been polling Latino voters in Pennsylvania for months with outside groups and is also a Harris campaign supporter. . “So this is a gift that will keep on giving through Election Day, because young people will say, ‘I’m going to do something,’ and that will be my message (in response), ‘Do something. ”

Karen Rodriguez, a local activist who founded the group The People for Puerto Rico, said she has encountered Latinos in Pennsylvania who are either intrigued by Trump or have no interest in voting. says most Facing serious economic hardships and concerns about safety and security in their neighborhoods, they believe Trump personally sent the stimulus checks he signed and approved by Congress during the pandemic. But he said his rally comments resonated with everyone he knows.

“I can’t even put into words how hurt I am,” Rodriguez said. “I’m not alone. . . . “This comment dropped like a bombshell, and the reaction from the Puerto Rican diaspora was immediate and severe.”

The backlash wasn’t limited to Philadelphia.

Miguel Fuentes, 74, owner of San Juan Market in the South End, said Hinchcliffe’s remarks were not surprising given Trump’s previous discriminatory comments against black people.

“It tells us what Trump thinks about us,” said Fuentes, who was born in Puerto Rico and went to Boston to attend college, as he placed bags of chips on the shelves.

Massachusetts state Sen. Adam Gomez, the first Puerto Rican elected to the Massachusetts Senate in 2020, called Hinchcliffe’s comments “provocative,” “racist” and “an attack on all Latino people.”

But there was also evidence Monday that not everyone blamed Trump for those comments.

Venus Elias, 41, of Philadelphia, who stopped by Freddy and Tony’s for a meal, said she has been a longtime Trump supporter because she believes he is helping low-income and disadvantaged Americans. He said he was in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria and credited Trump with getting the island’s help. He said he doesn’t follow the news closely but believes Harris “showed up out of nowhere” to speak in her district and did nothing as vice president. When told about it, he ignored a comedian’s remarks that did not come directly from the former president.

“He was probably just a mouthful of words as usual, people don’t like him,” Elias said. “I don’t believe he would say something like that because he helped me when I was in Puerto Rico.”

Globe staff reporters Rachel Umansky-Castro and Samantha J. Gross contributed to this report.

Tal Kopan can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @talkopan.