October 30, 2024
President Biden’s recent “garbage” comment about Trump supporters has sparked significant discussion across the U.S. political landscape. The comment came during a Zoom call with Voto Latino on Tuesday, following a question about a remark made at a Trump rally by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” Biden, reacting to the outrage from Democrats over Hinchcliffe’s comments, added his own thoughts, saying, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. [Trump’s] demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it is un-American.”
The response from Biden drew immediate attention and mixed reactions, particularly as Vice President Kamala Harris and some high-ranking Democrats, including Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, refrained from addressing the president’s remarks directly. Harris herself has remained notably silent on Biden’s comment, which has become a focal point in the campaign’s final stretch. While Harris did tweet a rebuke of Hinchcliffe’s Puerto Rico remarks within hours of the event, she has not addressed Biden’s statements.
After Biden’s remarks, he tweeted a clarification: “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 demonization 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.”
On Wednesday, Gov. Walz addressed the issue on ABC’s Good Morning America, acknowledging Biden’s clarification. “The president’s clarified his remarks, but let’s be very clear. The vice president and I have made it absolutely clear that we want everyone as a part of this,” Walz said. “Donald Trump’s divisive rhetoric is what needs to end. He called this a garbage country and continues on from ‘the enemy within.’”
Walz added that Harris’s campaign focuses on inclusivity, emphasizing that her vision for America is built on unity, a message she delivered during her recent speech at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. “She’s laid out a new way forward, and that’s what we’re going to do for the next six days and then the next eight years after that,” Walz stated.
Harris campaign senior adviser Stephanie Cutter also responded during an interview with MSNBC, downplaying the controversy around Biden’s comment and addressing the criticism from Trump’s campaign. “The president did clarify what he was talking about, but the vice president has been clear that her campaign, her presidency is about all Americans,” Cutter explained. “When she’s president, she’s not going to care who you voted for. She’s going to fight for you regardless.”
Cutter also dismissed the reaction from Republicans as “faux outrage,” pointing to Hinchcliffe’s comments as evidence of ongoing divisive rhetoric from Trump’s campaign. “Spare me the faux outrage from Donald Trump, JD Vance, and his campaign. Even at the Madison Square Garden [event], his supporters not only disparaged Puerto Rican Americans but disparaged all Latinos. So, spare me the faux outrage,” Cutter added.
While the Biden campaign has clarified the president’s comment, the incident has fueled debate in the final days before the election, with both campaigns doubling down on their narratives of inclusivity versus division.
