President Joe Biden faced backlash Tuesday after appearing to label former President Donald Trump’s supporters as “garbage” during an election campaign video call with VotoLatino, a nonprofit group.
The remarks followed controversy sparked by comments made by a comedian at a Trump rally in New York, where Puerto Rico was described as a “floating island of garbage.”
In his comments, Biden said, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” condemning Trump’s frequent disparagement of Latinos as “unconscionable and un-American.”
The White House later clarified that Biden’s criticism was aimed at Trump’s rhetoric, not his supporters directly.
“The President referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage,’” said spokesperson Andrew Bates in a statement.
With just a week until Election Day, Biden’s remarks drew swift reactions from Trump’s campaign, with the former president calling the comments “terrible” at a rally in Pennsylvania, likening them to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 “deplorables” comment.
“Garbage? I think that’s worse, right?” Trump quipped to his supporters.
Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, also condemned Biden’s words as “disgusting,” accusing Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of alienating half of the country.
At the heart of the controversy was comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s appearance at Trump’s New York rally, where he referred to Puerto Rico with the derogatory “floating island of garbage” remark and made other inflammatory statements about minority communities.
The Trump campaign has since attempted to distance itself from the comedian’s remarks.
“Probably, he shouldn’t have been there,” Trump told Fox News, stating he disapproved of “nasty or stupid jokes.”
Puerto Ricans, who are U.S. citizens but cannot vote in presidential elections unless residing on the mainland, represent a key diaspora population, with nearly six million eligible to vote across the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center.
The controversy highlights the heightened tensions as both parties work to mobilize Latino voters ahead of the election.
