Puerto Rican singers Luis Fonsi and Ricky Martin on Tuesday showed their support for U.S. Presidential Democratic nominee Joe Biden during an event in Florida.
Joe Biden, who seeks at all costs to win the vote of the Latino community, participated in the commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month in the Sunshine State.
Joe Biden plays “Despacito” song
The event was held in the city of Kissimmee, located in Osceola County, south of Orlando, which has a 55 percent Latino population, mainly Puerto Rican.
Luis Fonsi was in charge of presenting the political leader, in an evening attended by artists such as Ricky Martin, Eva Longoria, John Leguizamo and Rita Moreno, among others.
“It was a real honor for me to introduce Vice President Joe Biden tonight. He is a great leader, who has shown his respect and admiration for the Latino community and for Puerto Rico for many years,” Joe Biden wrote on his Instagram account.
“It is time for us to have a president to treat us with the dignity we deserve, to recognize how valuable our contribution to this country is, and to promote unity and acceptance. Boricua, register today to vote through voyavotar.com or Iwillvote.com,” he added.
In the act, Fonsi blamed Trump for trying to “divide us” without success and cited his theme ‘Despacito‘ as an example of something that both Latinos and Americans embraced, regardless of their origin, as well as urging that to achieve that union “better would be having a president to celebrate our community.”
It was no coincidence that the singer referred to that song, which was another of the protagonists of the day.
Joe Biden, 78, set aside his usual seriousness to star in a moment when he showed his most relaxed facet, thanks to that theme song.
.@JoeBiden steps out and starts playing Despacito from his phone. pic.twitter.com/V5lkUBOoCb
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) September 16, 2020
“I only have one thing to say”, announced Joe Biden as he pulled down his mask and approached the stand. He immediately pulled out his cell phone and hit the play. Then a fragment of ‘Despacito’, the great success of Fonsi and his compatriot Daddy Yankee, was heard in the room.
“I will tell you that if I had the talent of these people, I would be elected president by acclamation“, he told all the artists who went to show him his endorsement.
In his speech, the political leader defended Puerto Rico and addressed aspects of his plan to revive the island, after accusing Donald Trump of having forgotten that “Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.”
For his part, Ricky Martin gave a speech in which he warned that Latinos in the United States did not take Donald Trump’s incompetence and cruelty by surprise.
“We knew what he was like from the beginning. After Hurricane Maria saw how he threw paper towel at us as he asked his cabinet if he could sell to Puerto Rico. We saw his cruelty when he launched his campaign calling immigrant rapists and criminals“, he said.
On his Instagram account, the performer of ‘Living the Mad Life’ referred to the plan of “recovery, renewal and respect for Puerto Rico” projected by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
.@JoeBiden steps out and starts playing Despacito from his phone. pic.twitter.com/V5lkUBOoCb
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) September 16, 2020
“Biden will ensure that Puerto Rico receives the federal disaster reconstruction funds needed urgently to support Puerto Rico’s long-term recovery and increase its ability to withstand future storms. Specifically, he will accelerate access to promised funds for reconstruction while ensuring transparency and accountability for public funds,” the singer said.
The importance of Hispanic voting
Joe Biden has announced important Latino-linked measures if he is elected president in the November election.
Obama‘s former vice president visited Florida, a key state for election results and is tied to Trump on voter preferences.
Joe Biden announced that he will freeze deportations in his first 100 days at the White House, except for those who have committed felonies, and that he will legalize dreamers.
“I’m going to work very hard for every vote here, and across the country we’ve been at the forefront of the Hispanic, Latino, all over the country,” he said.
“All my life I have defended the country’s core values: decency, honesty, justice, to give people opportunities to work in processes, to be able to ascend. This president hasn’t done this, this president hugs dictators, he looks more like Castro than Churchill“, he added.