Biden rushes to clarify ‘garbage’ comment Trump says was aimed at his supporters
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US President Joe Biden was accused by Donald Trump and other Republicans of calling their supporters "garbage".
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden’s supposed attempt to call out racist remarks by a speaker at a campaign rally for Donald Trump backfired as Trump and other Republicans accused him of calling their supporters “garbage”.
Just days ahead of a razor-tight contest between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Trump that will decide who takes control of the world’s leading economy, Mr Biden and his White House quickly sought to stem any further fallout from the gaffe.
The saga started when comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage”
Speaking during a fundraising call on Tuesday, Mr Biden said “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s – his – his demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable and it’s un-American”, according to a transcript posted on X by a White House spokesperson.
Several news organisations cited the same quote but without the apostrophe amid criticism that Mr Biden had appeared to direct his garbage comment at Trump supporters more broadly.
Mr Biden also sought to clarify matters on X.
“Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporters at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage – which is the only word I can think of to describe it,” he posted.
“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 Republicans seized on the comment, comparing it to a remark by Hillary Clinton in 2016 referring to Trump supporters as “deplorables”.
Trump, who trails Ms Harris by just a single percentage point, 43 per cent to 44 per cent, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, ahead of the Nov 5 election, also weighed in on Mr Biden’s remark.
“Now, on top of everything, Joe Biden calls our supporters ‘garbage’. You can’t lead America if you don’t love the American people,” Trump posted on X.
His running mate J.D. Vance said: “This is disgusting. Kamala Harris and her boss Joe Biden are attacking half of the country.”
Mr Vance had earlier defended Hinchcliffe’s comment, saying: “We have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America.” REUTERS
