Biden faces backlash over comments on Trump’s supporters during campaign call

U.S. President Joe Biden faced backlash Tuesday after remarks he made during a campaign call were interpreted as referring to former President Donald Trump’s supporters as “garbage.” The comments came amid heightened tensions in the final stretch of the presidential race, with Election Day just one week away.

The controversy began during a video call with VotoLatino, a nonprofit organization focused on Latino voter engagement, when Biden addressed derogatory comments made about Puerto Rico by a comedian at a Trump rally in New York on Sunday. Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, warming up the crowd, described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” adding further inflammatory comments directed at African Americans and Hispanic immigrants.

In response, Biden remarked, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” in a clear denouncement of the rhetoric at the rally. He went on to call Trump’s attitude toward Latinos “unconscionable” and “un-American.”

The White House quickly responded, clarifying that Biden’s comments were directed toward the rhetoric, not Trump’s base of supporters. “The President referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage,’” said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates.

Trump and his campaign seized on the remarks, with Trump calling them “terrible” during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Drawing a comparison to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 description of some Trump supporters as “deplorables,” Trump added, “Garbage, I think is worse, right?”

Trump’s running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, was quick to criticize Biden’s remarks, labeling them “disgusting” and accusing the Biden administration of alienating half the country.

The comedian’s comments about Puerto Rico struck a nerve, particularly given that Puerto Rico is an American territory. While residents on the island do not participate in U.S. elections, the nearly six million Puerto Ricans living in the United States mainland, according to the Pew Research Center, are eligible to vote.

Trump himself has distanced his campaign from the comedian’s remarks. In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, he stated, “Probably, he shouldn’t have been there,” emphasizing that he did not support “nasty or stupid jokes” from rally speakers.

As the campaign heads into its final days, Biden’s comments — and the Trump campaign’s responses — underscore the contentious tone surrounding this election season, particularly in relation to sensitive issues like race and representation in America.