Google Searches for Comedian Who Made Racist Jokes at Trump Rally Than Taylor Swift

Not long after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe appeared at Donald Trump’s big rally at Madison Square Garden this weekend and called Puerto Rico a “floating garbage island,” the Internet awoke with a Google search of his name. In fact, as Nate Silver points out, Hinchcliffe’s search has surpassed that of Taylor Swift. The obvious implication would seem to be that many people did not know who Hinchcliffe was and were immediately trying to find out who this guy who just cursed the island was.

Hinchcliffe’s comments set off a political firestorm, with some analysts even questioning whether the viral comments—which are sure to offend some members of the Puerto Rican American population—could cost Trump the election. For the Trump camp’s problem, the 2022 census data shows that the US has about 5.9 million people living in it who identify themselves ethnically as Puerto Rican. Indeed, nearly half a million Puerto Ricans live in the highly regarded state of Pennsylvania alone.

The viral joke has had significant political consequences, with many politicians – Democrats and Republicans alike – denouncing it. The Trump campaign has distanced itself from Hinchcliffe (a representative told Fox: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign”), although he may have checked his material before going live. The joke apparently inspired Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny—considered one of the most popular artists among Gen-Z Americans—to endorse Kamala Harris for president.

In addition to being offensive, Hinchcliffe’s joke seems to have caused a stir—or at least interest—from the ranks of people, some of whom may have never heard of the comedian. Below is a screenshot of the same Google search results for Taylor Swift and Hinchcliffe, with Hinchcliffe’s results represented in blue:

Google Analytics related to Hinchcliffe shows some interesting regional metrics. In Florida, for example, where about 1.2 million Puerto Ricans live, Hinchcliffe’s nationality was the top Google search. The Miami Herald newspaper, one of the largest newspapers in Florida, reported that local politicians, including those who support Trump, came out to criticize Hinchcliffe’s statements. Another US representative, Maria Elvira Salazar, of Miami, said she was “disgusted” by the joke. La Mesa Boricua de Florida, a Puerto Rican political advocacy group based in Florida, was quoted as saying: “Trump must not forget that in Florida nearly 800,000 Puerto Ricans have the ability to exercise their right to vote.”

That said, Google Search interest seems to be concentrated in the “blue” counties, indicating that the liberal citizens of those areas have not heard of Hinchcliffe or his brand of edgelord-comedy. Searches were highest in Washington DC, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and California. Hinchcliffe seems to be very popular with some people, as his podcast has almost 2 million subscribers on YouTube.

Hinchcliffe didn’t just downplay the American island scene on Sunday. He also joked about a Black audience member and a watermelon (“Look at this guy, oh my goodness. Wow. Just kidding, that’s one of my buddies. He had a Halloween party last night. We had fun. We’re watermelons carved together”), and shared his thoughts on the links between -Hispanics, immigration, and birth control (“These Latinos, they like to make babies, they know just that. They do it. There is no getting out. They don’t like to make babies. they do that. They go inside, like they do in our country”), even dipping their toe into the Palestinian conflict of Israel (he called Palestinians “stone throwers,” and joked about stingy Jews). It really is a wrinkled gauntlet of tricks.

His racist jokes have landed him in trouble before. In 2021, he was “cancelled,” after he referred to comedian Peng Dang — who had introduced him at a stand-up event in Austin — as a “dirty little chink.” Dang later told USA Today that he was offended by Hinchcliffe’s comments: “Tony never came to me, talked to me or apologized. I don’t think he thinks that’s offensive,” she said. Not long after the incident became infected with the AIDS virus, Hinchcliffe was taken down by his co-workers. Now, Hinchcliffe has his own podcast (Kill Tony) and has met the king of podcasts Joe Rogan. Indeed, an old clip of Rogan aired on X on Monday where the podcast host suggested that Trump get Hinchcliffe to write jokes for him.

It is difficult to explain what, exactly, the Trump campaign hoped to achieve with its MSG rally. In the mainstream media, this meeting was widely called a quasi-“fascist” appeal to the most offensive tendencies of the MAGA movement. That said, there’s a lot going on at Madison Square Garden. Many presidents have held their rallies there, and Cyndi Lauper will be performing there later this week. Just because the loud political rally was held at New York’s first convention center, it doesn’t mean it was intended to mimic the infamous 1939 pro-Nazi rally held at the same venue. I have already said thateverything racist and sexist was said on Sunday, and the overall tone (to this viewer, at least) felt like a rapidly creeping darkness. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told multiple social media platforms that she felt the rally was an attempt to destroy negative parts of Trump’s base. Maybe the campaign just saw it as another way for Trump to make viral content. I think mission accomplished, on that front.