The White House is walking back remarks made by President Joe Biden on Tuesday after he referred to former President Donald Trump’s supporters as “garbage" during a video call with the progressive group Voto Latino. He was responding to a comedian at a Trump rally calling Puerto Rico an "island of garbage"
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His, his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been,” Biden says in the clip.
However, the White House is arguing that the president was referring to the rhetoric at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday as “garbage.”
In its transcript of the comment, the White House added an apostrophe to the word “supporter’s,” saying that Biden was addressing the comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. The comedian said during his speech that Puerto Rico was like a “floating island of garbage.”
“The President referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage,’” deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement, adding that Hinnchcliffe’s “demonization of Latinos” was “garbage.”
Hinchcliffe delivered several jokes at the Trump rally on Sunday, in which he mocked several groups, including Latinos, Jews, and Black men.
Taking to social media, Biden also sought to clarify his comments that appeared to be calling Trump supporters garbage.
“Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage—which is the only word I can think of to describe it. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable,” Biden posted on X. “That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”
The Trump campaign has already jumped on the comments from Biden despite his effort to explain his quote. The former president likened it to Hillary Clinton’s quip in 2016 that Trump’s supporters were “deplorables.”
“That’s terrible,” Trump said of Biden’s comment.
“This is disgusting. Kamala Harris and her boss Joe Biden are attacking half of the country,” GOP vice presidential nominee and Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) posted on X. “There’s no excuse for this. I hope Americans reject it.”
“Harris and Biden falsely claim they want to unify the nation while calling tens of millions of Americans TRASH,” senior Trump campaign adviser Brian Hughes posted on X. “This is the quiet part out loud about those of us who simply want life to be affordable again and a secure border to keep our families safe.”