If Trump loses, will comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s ‘floating island of garbage’ be to blame?

Only a slice of America knew Tony Hinchcliffe before he took the stage at former President Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally in late October.

But what the comic said that night — namely calling Puerto Rico a " floating island of garbage " — not only made him known nationwide but also thrust him into the core of presidential politics.

While the Trump campaign attempted to distance itself from the joke, the Republican candidate never apologized, allowing Harris to take full advantage. Democrats cite that joke, and its aftermath, as the turning point in their effort to win over late-deciding voters.

Harris pressed this advantage on Monday, using precious time in her final day on the campaign trail to rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a city with a large Puerto Rican community, and to drive over an hour to Reading to visit a Puerto Rican restaurant.

Hinchcliffe, in the immediate aftermath of the joke, accused Democrats of having "no sense of humor" and wrote that he "made fun of everyone." He hasn't tweeted since.

If Trump loses and Hinchcliffe's joke is a turning point, his appearance could go down as the most influential comedy set of all time.