Biden faces backlash for calling Trump supporters ‘garbage’
U.S. President Joe Biden is facing criticism following a recent statement during a campaign call where he appeared to refer to supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as “garbage.”
This remark was made during a video conference with VotoLatino, in response to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comments during a New York rally. Hinchcliffe, who was performing as a comedian for Trump, referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
Biden stated, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” while condemning Trump’s “demonization of Latinos” as “unconscionable and un-American.” However, the White House later clarified that Biden’s statement was directed at Trump’s divisive rhetoric, not his supporters. Spokesperson Andrew Bates explained that Biden was addressing the “hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally” as “garbage.”
Trump’s campaign swiftly responded, with the former president denouncing Biden’s words as “terrible” during a rally in Pennsylvania. Trump drew a comparison between Biden’s comments and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 characterization of Trump supporters as “deplorables,” adding, “Garbage, I think, is worse, right??”
Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, also criticized the president’s remarks as “disgusting” and accused Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of “attacking half of the country.”
This incident has only heightened campaign tensions as Biden and Harris are vying for a tight race against Trump, with Election Day just a week away.