Jennifer Lopez Slams Trump at Vegas Rally: ‘It Wasn’t Just Puerto Ricans Who Were Offended’ | Video
It’s rare that Jennifer Lopez speaks out politically, but she’s been newly engaged ever since Tony “Kill Tony” Hinchcliffe” called the island of Puerto Rico an island of “garbage” at a Donald Trump rally this past Sunday. She joined Kamala Harris in Las Vegas on Halloween night to voice her support for the Democratic candidate — and her opposition to Trump.
“He has consistently worked to divide us,” Lopez said. “At Madison Square Garden, he reminded us who he really is and how he really feels.”
“It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans who were offended that day, OK?” Lopez said, emotion in her voice. “It was every Latino in this country, it was humanity, and anyone of decent character.”
“I’m a lover, OK? You guys know that about me. I am a lover, I am not a fighter,” Lopez said, seemingly referencing her quite public love life. “I am not here to trash anyone, or bring them down. I know what that can feel like, and I wouldn’t do it to my worst enemy, or even when facing the biggest adversary I think America has internally ever had.”
After laying out Kamala Harris’ resume and her history of standing up for people, Lopez rallied the crowd, drawing on her own Puerto Rican heritage.
“It’s time for us to show up for her. It’s time for us to all answer ‘presente,'” Lopez said. “I am an American woman. I am the daughter of Guadalupe Rodríguez and David Lopez, a proud daugher and son of Puerto Rico. I am Puerto Rican.”
She went on to add that she was born in the United States.
“I am a mother, I am a sister, I am an actor and an entertainer, and I like Hollywood endings,” Lopez added. “I like when the good guy, or in this case, the good girl wins.”
She shouted out her own Latino neighborhood in the Bronx, as well as the Latino area of east Las Vegas.
“You can’t even spell American without ‘Rican,'” Lopez wryly noted, before once again having her feelings appear to come to the surface. “I promised myself I wouldn’t get emotional, but you know what? We should be emotional. We should be upset, we should be scared and outraged. We should. Our pain matters, we matter. You matter. Your voice and your vote matters.”
Jenny From the Block connected her support for Harris with her own journey in the entertainment industry.
“When I started in TV and film, I could get roles playing the maid or the loudmouth Latina,” Lopez said, “but I knew I had more to offer, and I think there are a lot of people in this country who feel the same way. Who know that they are capable of more, and we all just want a chance to prove it. And elections are about choosing leaders who support that, not one who stands in the way.”
She advised the crowd not to worry about making others uncomfortable.
“Nobody likes having tough conversations or talking about politics,” Lopez said, “but trust me, I’ve been in some of these rooms. I see the way power works in this country. They love it when you do nothing. A non-vote is an agreement. It just makes it easier for them to do whatever they want, whatever serves them.”
Lopez praised how Harris would fight for people like those in attendance, including immigrants and their families.
“I know as president of the United States, Kamala will fight for our freedom,” Lopez said. “The freedom of immigrants and immigrant families to chase the American dream, the freedom of workers to afford housing, education, food, and life’s essentials. And the freedom of women to choose what we do with our bodies. I believe in the power of women.”
She praised the power of both women and of Latinos. The triple threat connected with the local crowd by noting that she had frequently performed in Vegas, but added that the stage she took Thursday night was the most important stage she’d ever been on.
“Kamala Harris is running for the people who dream,” Lopez said. “For the parents working overtime, the kids studying by streetlight, the teenagers practicing in the basement.”
She gave Harris particular praise for what she would do on education, including the idea of putting teacher Tim Walz in the vice president’s office.
“If you are anything like me and you value the idea that in this country, any child, from any background, can not only work their ass off to bring their dreams to life and be able to do so with dignity and respect for their neighbors, then it isn’t much of a choice at all,” Lopez said.
You can watch the full speech by Jennifer Lopez in the video above.
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