President Joe Biden referred to former President Donald Trump’s supporters as “garbage” Tuesday in a Zoom call with the organization Voto Latino following comments made at a Trump rally by a comedian.
The comments from the president were in response to those made by comic Tony Hinchcliffe on Sunday while speaking at a Trump rally in Madison Square Garden, where the comedian referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” Biden attempted to clarify the comments in an X post Tuesday night after receiving backlash, claiming he was referring to the “rhetoric” put out by the comic and not Trump supporters.
“Donald Trump has no character. He doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community. He’s failed a businessman. He only cares about the billionaire friends he had and accumulated wealth for those at the top,” Biden said in the video.
“And just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage.’ Well, let me tell you something … I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know — or a Puerto Rico, where I’m — in my home state of Delaware, they’re good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.”
Here’s the video: pic.twitter.com/7hNp3su8k2
— Gabe Gutierrez (@gabegutierrez) October 30, 2024
Biden addressed the backlash by condemning the rhetoric against Puerto Rico at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally as hateful. He clarified that he believed the alleged divisive language toward Latinos contradicts American values.
“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,” Biden wrote on X.
In a statement reported by journalist Gabe Gutierrez, the White House further emphasized that Biden was referring to the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who backs Trump and made disparaging remarks about Puerto Rico. (RELATED: Anti-Trump Journalist Claims Dem ‘Outrage’ Over Trump MSG Rally ‘Misses’ Point, Predicts Most ‘Diverse’ GOP Base Ever)
“There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” Hinchcliffe said at the rally.
The White House initially released a transcript that showed Biden saying “supporters’,” with a plural possessive apostrophe. Later on, they updated the transcript to read “supporter’s,” implying that Biden wasn’t referring to millions of Americans, but only Hinchcliffe himself. Many on social media, however, weren’t buying it and accused the White House of incorrectly using an apostrophe.
The White House put a fake apostrophe in the transcript but the spoken word is clear. https://t.co/HIN6QulTjZ
— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) October 30, 2024
Morning Joe read—didn’t play—Biden’s “garbage” comment to explain it. Another host cited the “apostrophe” as the culprit again. pic.twitter.com/MDDjLwJ7ZP
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) October 30, 2024
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.” That’s a direct quote. That’s what Kamala Harris’s boss said. This is how Politico decided to report it:
Do @JonLemire @alexanderburns @politico have an ounce of integrity? Will they correct this obvious falsehood? pic.twitter.com/B1ktGVpLfz
— JD Vance (@JDVance) October 30, 2024
Former Daily Caller reporter and now-CNN host Kaitlan Collins on her show Tuesday night doubted the idea that Biden meant “supporter’s” with an apostrophe.
“The White House is trying to say that what President Biden was saying — they’re putting an apostrophe there in ‘supporters,’ saying it’s the singular, I guess referring to the comedian,” Collins said. “I mean, it’s hard to really look at that when you can listen to it for yourself …”
Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. apparently criticized the attack as well on Collins’ show. “I would never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any Americans even if they chose to support a candidate that I didn’t support.”
This story has been updated with additional context surrounding the “apostrophe” fight.
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