FILE-President Joe Biden speaks at the 115th NAACP National Convention at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on July 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
President Joe Biden made a comment that some interpreted to be directed at Donald Trump's supporters as he reacted to the former president’s Madison Square Garden rally last weekend.
Biden said he was referencing Tony Hinchcliffe, a comic, who called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" at Trump’s rally. Biden was participating in a Zoom call on Tuesday organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino when he made the comment.
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Controversy over Biden's "garbage" comment
President Biden made headlines for a "garbage" comment he made while Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a speech from the Ellipse outside the White House. During a virtual Harris campaign call with Voto Latino, Biden took a shot at former President Trump and his supporters.
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During the call Biden said "Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something, I don’t, I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know, the Puerto Rico where I’m fr -- in my home state of Delaware. They’re good, decent honorable people."
The president then added: "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been," the Associated Press noted.
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According to the AP, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said Biden "referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage.’"
White House releases transcript of Biden comments
The White House provided a transcript of the president’s comments to support Biden’s assertion that he was referring to Hinchcliffe’s remarks as "garbage" and not Trump supporters.
"And just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage." Well, let me tell you something. I don’t — I — I don’t know the Puerto Rican that — that I know — or a Puerto Rico, where I’m fr- — in my home state of Delaware, they’re good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s — 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," according to the White House transcript.
Biden clarifies comments on social media
Biden later wanted to clarify his remarks when he shared a post on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday night.
"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. That's all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don't reflect who we are as a nation," Biden wrote.
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, said the campaign's message of unity was not undercut by Biden's words, the AP reported.
Meanwhile, Republicans quickly highlighted Biden's remark. Trump called up Florida Sen. Marco Rubio during his rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to recount what happened.
In a statement obtained by the AP, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said, "There’s no way to spin it: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris don’t just hate President Trump, they despise the tens of millions of Americans who support him."