Puerto Rican artist Nicky Jam walked back his endorsement for presidential candidate Donald J. Trump on Wednesday. In a video uploaded to Jam’s Instagram, the reggaeton star is seen sitting in a luxury car as he explains he no longer supports Trump following the racist remarks made by Tony Hinchcliffe about Puerto Rico and Latinos during a rally over the weekend.
“The reason I supported Donald Trump is because I believed it was what’s best for the economy in the United States, where a lot of Latinos live… a lot of immigrants that are suffering over the state of the economy,” Jam said in Spanish. “With [Trump] being a businessman, I felt it was the right move.”
He states that he “never in his life” thought that a month later, “a comedian would appear to criticize and talk badly about my [Puerto Rico],” he said. “That’s why I’m renouncing my support for Donald Trump and stepping away from any political conversation. Puerto Rico deserves respect.”
Hinchcliffe, who appeared as a speaker for a Trump rally in New York’s Madison Square Garden on Oct. 27, made derogatory comments about Latinos and their children. He also said, “There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
The starkly racist comments stirred outrage among prominent Puerto Ricans and many others in media and entertainment including Bad Bunny, Don Omar, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin, among others.
Jam previously appeared at a Trump rally himself, sparking outrage — and a viral moment — after being introduced and misgendered by Trump as an avid supporter of his campaign. Trump was apparently under the mistaken impression that Jam was a “hot” woman, announcing the endorsement of “Latin music superstar Nicky Jam”: “Do you know Nicky? She’s hot!”
Jam never commented on the misgendering, and was relatively quiet about his participation at the rally until Wednesday’s update.
See Jam’s post below.