Trump defends supporters against Biden’s ‘garbage’ comment, Biden does damage control
ABIGAIL BARRETT / Our Today
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President Joe Biden has sought to clarify recent comments that ignited controversy, following accusations that he labelled supporters of Donald Trump as “garbage”.
The situation began when comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, during a Trump rally on Sunday, October 27, referred to Puerto Rico—a US territory—as an “island of garbage”. In response, Biden was quoted saying, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” which fueled heavy backlash from Republicans.
To address the uproar, the White House later released a transcript that included a crucial apostrophe, emphasizing that Biden was specifically referencing Hinchcliffe’s comments rather than disparaging all Trump supporters. The revised transcript stated, “The only garbage I see floating out there is (Trump’s) supporter’s… his demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”
Biden further elaborated on his comments during a video call with the non-profit organization Voto Latino. He wrote on X, “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 demonisation 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.”
But Trump won’t let the gaffe slide, certainly not days before the election, posting on X.com that both Biden and Harris are unfit for the presidency.
“While I am running a campaign of positive solutions to save America, Kamala Harris is running a campaign of hate. She has spent all week comparing her political opponents to the most evil mass murderers in history. Now, on top of everything, Joe Biden calls our supporters “garbage.” You can’t lead America if you don’t love the American People.
Donald Trump, X.com
Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have shown they are both unfit to be President of the United States. I am proud to lead the biggest, broadest, and most important political coalition in American history. We are welcoming historic numbers of Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans, and citizens of every race, religion, colour, and creed. It is my desire to be the President of all the people.”
The semantics squabble is nothing new in US election history as Trump, throughout his campaign has referred to Democrats as “the enemies from within” and Hillary Clinton during her run for presidency referred to Republicans as a “basket of deplorables”.
Both parties are gathering any ammunition they can find to sway more voters as they prepare for election day on November 5.
“In less than a week, our votes will shape the future of America,” Harris posted on X.com, ahead of her speech in Raleigh, North Carolina. “We have an opportunity to end the divisiveness that has characterized our politics for a decade because of Donald Trump.”
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