During an Oct. 27, 2024, rally at New York City's Madison Square Garden, a speaker called Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, a "floating island of garbage." ...

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, doing live coverage of the rally, criticized Hinchcliffe for his comments.

Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1917, and the first large wave of migration occurred after World War II to ease labor shortages. There are now more Puerto Ricans in the U.S. than on the island.