President Joe Biden called Donald Trump’s followers ‘garbage’ after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden event called Puerto Rico an ‘island of garbage’. It was a tit-for-tat but the offensive coming from President Biden amplified the issue probably more than it deserved became one of the unforgettable moments this election as the MAGA supporters seized on the opportunity to up the ante.
The White House attempted a cover-up as in the transcript, Biden’s ‘garbage’ comment reads this: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s.” The apostrophe could not save the day as the Harris campaign too did not take the comment well. “Biden’s comments are the latest example of why Kamala Harris’ team has been avoiding campaigning with him,” Axios reported citing Harris aides who call Biden both “unpopular and undisciplined”.
Harris’ aides were frustrated last week too when Biden went to New Hampshire and said “we gotta lock (Trump) up”. Biden later said he only meant it politically. But this was something that Harris’ team wanted to avoid. The ‘garbage’ row also dimmed Kamala Harris’ closing argument speech Tuesday night. Biden did not appear alongside her but also “upstaged” Kamala Harris.
Biden’s ‘garbage’ clarification
Apart from White House’s clarification, Biden too posted a clarification 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,” Trump posted.
It hammered home the same point the transcript made — that Biden was talking about Trump supporter Tony Hinchcliffe’s garbage and did not call all Donald Trump supporters garbage.
