Nicky Jam, reggaeton singer, pulls endorsement of Trump after Puerto Rico insult
Nicky Jam, a Puerto Rican and Dominican reggaeton singer, rescinded his endorsement of Donald Trump in the latest blowback over a comedian’s insult at a Trump rally on Sunday that Puerto Rico is a “floating island of garbage.”
Nick Rivera Caminero, known by his stage name Nicky Jam, endorsed Trump at a September rally in Las Vegas. He was met with vocal backlash from Latino fans at the time and had not spoken out since then. But in an Instagram video Wednesday, he explained that he had been motivated to support Trump because of what he thought he could do for the economy - and he could no longer justify backing him.
“The reason why I supported Donald Trump is because I thought it was best for the economy of the United States, where a lot of Latinos live, a lot of us live, I include myself, and many immigrants who are suffering because of the economy,” he said in the selfie video. “And him being a businessman, I thought it was the best move.”
“I never in my life imagined a month later a comedian would go and criticize my land and talk badly about my land,” he added. “And therefore, I revoke any support to Donald Trump.”
He stopped short, however, of endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. Instead, he said he was stepping aside from political takes.
Nicky Jam’s rescinded endorsement is the latest blowback Trump is facing after podcast host and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico - known as La Isla del Encanto - as an “island of garbage,” among other racist and demeaning insults he delivered at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden.
The Trump campaign has sought to move past the episode, bringing in several Latino speakers at a rally in majority-Latino Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night to boost Trump as an advocate for Puerto Ricans and other Latinos. On multiple occasions, Trump has declined to apologize for the comedian’s remark, dismissing the furor over the insults.
“Nobody loves our Latino community and our Puerto Rican community more than I do,” he said at his rally in Allentown.
The rollout of Nicky Jam’s Trump endorsement was also the subject of much criticism among Latinos. Last month, Trump invited Nicky Jam onstage during a campaign rally in Las Vegas and misgendered him. “Do you know Nicky?” he asked the crowd. “She’s hot!”
While Nicky Jam brushed off the former president’s mistake in the moment, he later took down an Instagram post endorsing Trump after fans flooded it with angry comments.
Many pointed out how the reggaeton artist had been vocal in supporting Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, during the Trump administration. He did a collaboration with Spotify in 2018 in support of Dreamers to fight the Trump administration’s actions at the time. Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which allowed eligible immigrants to work and study without fear of deportation. The Obama-era program has remained in legal limbo.
And Maná, a popular Mexican rock band, pulled its song with Nicky Jam from streaming platforms after his endorsement.
“Maná does not work with racists,” the group said in a statement on Instagram.
Maná will perform at a rally with Harris on Thursday in Las Vegas. Jennifer Lopez, who is Puerto Rican, will also speak at the rally.
Nicky Jam joins a number of Puerto Rican celebrities who have denounced the insult.
Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican musical artist and one of the biggest superstars in the world, threw his support behind Harris on Sunday, and on Tuesday posted a video highlighting the rich history of the Puerto Rican people with the caption “garbage.” Lopez, Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony have also expressed their support for the her candidacy.