Puerto Rico’s Republican Party leader took a stand on Monday, announcing he wouldn’t support former President Donald J. Trump unless he issued a direct apology for offensive remarks made by a comedian at a recent rally.
Although Puerto Ricans can’t vote in presidential elections, Angel M. Cintrón, the island’s GOP chairperson, called on Trump to publicly denounce the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s derogatory comments, which labeled Puerto Rico as a “garbage-filled floating island.” Cintrón made his position clear during a radio program interview, stating he would withhold his symbolic vote for Trump in the upcoming election if an apology wasn’t forthcoming. Cintrón played a key role in securing Trump’s nomination in July during the Republican National Convention, where Puerto Rico allocated all 23 of its GOP delegates to the former president. (Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens and can vote in state elections—a significant factor considering the large Puerto Rican population in Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state).
As of Monday night, the Trump campaign had not responded to requests for comment. Earlier, Danielle Alvarez, a senior advisor to the Trump campaign, released a statement claiming that Hinchcliffe’s joke “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
However, Archbishop Roberto O. González Nieves of San Juan, Puerto Rico, found the campaign’s explanation insufficient. In a strongly worded letter to Trump posted on social media, the Archbishop emphasized the need for a personal apology from the former president.
“It is not enough for your campaign to apologize,” the Archbishop wrote. “You, personally, must apologize for these hurtful remarks.”
The Archbishop argued that Hinchcliffe’s comments weren’t simply meant to be funny; they fostered “sinister laughter” and fueled hatred.
Trump’s recent apology for keeping supporters waiting outside in the cold during a Michigan rally stands as a rare exception to his usual aversion to expressing contrition. In 2018, Republican strategist Kevin Madden observed that Trump’s approach has consistently been “never apologize, never back down.”
Please provide me with the matched_content title so I can facilitate the high-level conversation. I need the article title to understand its context and generate relevant keywords, viewpoints, and connections to current events.
Once you give me the title, I can craft a compelling dialogue between Time.News’ Editor-in-Chief and the news analyst.