Nicky Jam Rescinds Endorsement Of Donald Trump Amid Puerto Rico Comments
By Tony M. Centeno
October 31, 2024
Nicky Jam is backtracking on his endorsement of Donald Trump for president.
On Wednesday, October 30, the Puerto Rican-Dominican artist withdrew his vote in a video he posted to his Instagram page. In the video, he explained why he decided to endorse Trump in the first place. He felt like the former president would be good for the economy. However, over a month later, Nicky Jam said he changed his mind after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage" during Trump's recent rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“Never in my life did I think, that one month later there would be a comedian who would criticize my country and speak poorly of my country,” he said in Spanish. “And for that I withdraw my support of Donald Trump. Puerto Rico should be respected.”
Nicky Jam originally backed Trump during a rally in Las Vegas in September. Before he went on stage, Trump did his best to introduce the award-winning reggaetonero. Instead, he misgendered him and told the crowd, "She's hot." Although Trump immediately corrected himself, Nicky awkwardly went on stage with the 45th president while wearing a red MAGA hat.
"It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. President," Nicky said at the time. "People that come from where I come from, they don’t meet the president. So I’m lucky... We need you. We need you back, right? We need you to be the president.”
Nicky Jam rescinded his endorsement as other Puerto Rican artists like Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and Don Omar denounced the comedian's comments and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. El Conejo Malo responded by posting an 8-minute video that highlighted all the beautiful aspects of his homeland and captioned it "garbage."
See Bad Bunny's video below.