U.S. President Joe Biden is under fire after he seemingly referred to supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as "garbage" during a campaign call on Tuesday. His remarks came during a video call with VotoLatino, where he addressed comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who had described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” while opening for Trump at a New York rally.
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.” Following the backlash, the White House clarified that Biden's comment was directed at Trump’s rhetoric rather than his supporters. Spokesperson Andrew Bates explained that Biden was referring to the "hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally" as “garbage.”
Trump's campaign quickly responded, with the former president denouncing Biden’s remarks as “terrible” during a rally in Pennsylvania. Trump likened Biden's comments to Hillary Clinton's 2016 characterization of Trump supporters as “deplorables,” asserting, “Garbage, I think, is worse, right?”
Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, also condemned Biden’s remarks as “disgusting” and accused both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of "attacking half of the country.