Singer Nicky Jam has retracted his endorsement of Donald Trump in response to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe joking about Puerto Rico at the presidential hopeful’s recent rally.
The “Insomnio” artist shared an Instagram video on Wednesday announcing his change of heart, just one month after publicly voicing his support of Trump.
“The reason I supported Donald Trump is because I believed it was best for the United States economy, where a lot of Latinos live … a lot of immigrants that are suffering over the state of the economy,” Jam said, translated from Spanish using Google Translate. “With him being a businessman, I felt it was the right move.”
He went on to say that he never expected a comedian to then trash Puerto Rico weeks later, adding, “That’s why I’m renouncing my support for Donald Trump and stepping away from political conversation. Puerto Rico deserves respect.”
Jam was born in Massachusetts and moved to Puerto Rico with his family at age 10. On Sept. 13, the recording artist endorsed Trump at a campaign rally in Las Vegas.
Over the weekend, Hinchcliffe made multiple racist jokes against numerous minority groups while speaking in support of the Republican presidential nominee at another campaign stop.
“There’s a lot going on. Like, I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. Yeah, I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” Hinchcliffe said at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Trump subsequently distanced himself from the comedian.
The 2024 presidential election is now just six days away.
