Who is Tony Hinchcliffe, Trump's warm-up act at Madison Square Garden?
It's all a joke, until someone loses an election.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's Sunday night rally at Madison Square Garden is making headlines for a number of jokes from a comedian with a history of disparaging some of the very groups Trump is seeking to win over next week.
More: Trump-supporting comedian opens rally calling Puerto Rico a 'floating island of garbage'
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe performed his insult-saturated set as part of the wind-up to Trump's appearance, and it included jokes aimed at Jewish, Black, and Latino Americans that has garnered backlash from both sides of the aisle and accusations of permeating racist and sexist tropes.
"I don't know if you know this, but there's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now," Hinchcliffe said. "I think it's called Puerto Rico."
In response to the comment, USA TODAY previously reported senior Trump advisor Danielle Alvarez released a statement Sunday night, saying "this joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign."
Hinchcliffe, who prides himself on never apologizing for his jokes, told the crowd exercising the First Amendment is important, even if it offends people.
"Censorship is amongst us people," he said. "It's a very, very, very big deal and I'm just here to say that you guys are for the right candidate."
Here's what you need to know about the divisive comedian.
More: From Joe Rogan to Greg Gutfeld, conservative comedy’s influence grows
Who is Tony Hinchcliffe?
The Youngstown, Ohio native has written for Comedy Central Roasts and has close ties with conservative comedian Joe Rogan. He is a frequent guest on "The Joe Rogan Experience," the popular podcast on which Trump recently appeared.
Hinchcliffe, 40, launched his own podcast, "Kill Tony," in 2013 and it now has almost 2 million subscribers on YouTube.
What did Hinchcliffe say at MSG?
Hinchcliffe didn't hold back while warming up the crowd for Trump's appearance.
Among the number of crude and derogatory comments, Hinchcliffe is facing considerable backlash for calling Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage."
More: Trump faces backlash from Bad Bunny, Puerto Ricans amid fight for Latino vote
Celebrities and politicians alike, including Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny and Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott, who is up for reelection this year, denounced the joke.
The comedian proceeded to poke at the Latino community, claiming they "love making babies" and made a vulgar joke about those who immigrate into the country.
Hinchcliffe went on to conjure the antisemitic trope that Jewish people are stingy with money and joked that Palestinian people use rocks to defend themselves against Israel.
He called out rallygoers in the audience, pointing to a Black man and jokingly claimed the two had "carved watermelons together."
Hinchcliffe's history of offensive remarks
To those who are familiar with Hinchcliffe's troll-like material, his racially insensitive and coarse bit Sunday night probably came as no shock.
Old social media posts and material of the comedians are resurfacing following the rally.
In 2021, fellow comedian Peng Dang accused Hinchcliffe of using a racial slur against him and making offensive jokes about the Asian American community.
"Anyone wanna go halfsies on a slave," a 2011 Twitter post from Hinchcliffe read.
Another post read, "9-11 was the first time black employees were rewarded for being late to work. #TheBurn."
An especially distasteful 2010 post from Hinchcliffe about children with disabilities is also re-circulating online.
"I bet the best part of having a retarded child is not having to buy it Christmas gifts. #DoTheyKnow ItsChristmas?Nope."
Hinchcliffe responded to the backlash on X Sunday night, saying he loved Puerto Rico and often vacationed there. He did not discuss any of the other offensive remarks he made.
"These people have no sense of humor," he said in a post.
USA TODAY reached out to the Trump campaign for comment asking if they knew about Hinchcliffe's history of bigoted rhetoric. They did not immediately respond.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Tony Hinchcliffe, who insulted Puerto Rico?