WASHINGTON (AP) – In his response to the Republican presidential nominee’s speech at Madison Square Garden over the weekend, which was marred by offensive and racist language, President Joe Biden made fun of Trump’s followers.
Biden addressed a comedian at Trump’s event who referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” on Tuesday in a teleconference hosted by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino. Biden’s first remarks were jumbled.
“A speaker at his rally referred to Puerto Rico as a floating island of trash just the other day. Let me tell you something, though: I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know in my home state of Delaware, which is Puerto Rico. He added, “They’re good, decent, honorable people.”
“The only garbage I see floating out there are his supporters,” the president continued. His demonization of Latinos is un-American and unacceptable. It is completely at odds with everything we have done and everything we have been.
Biden “referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage,'” according to White House spokesperson Andrew Bates.
Biden then personally clarified his remarks on social media.
He said on X, “Earlier today, I called the hateful remarks about Puerto Rico made by a Trump supporter at his rally in Madison Square Garden garbage — that’s the only word I can think of to describe it.” It is unacceptable that he has demonized Latinos. I only intended to say that. Our country is not reflected in the remarks made at that event.
However, Biden’s tone was inconsistent with Democratic contender Kamala Harris’s attempt to appeal to a wide range of voters, including disgruntled Republicans, when she called Trump’s supporters “garbage.” Harris promised to be a president who would bring the nation together in a speech from the Ellipse in Washington shortly after Biden’s remarks.
Harris, Biden’s vice president, declared, “I promise to be a president for all Americans.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Harris’ running partner, stated that Biden’s remarks did not undermine the campaign’s theme of togetherness.
The president “was very clear that he’s speaking about the rhetoric we heard, so it doesn’t undermine it,” Walz stated on Wednesday’s “CBS Mornings.” Harris and Walz “have made it absolutely clear that we want everyone as a part of this,” Walz continued on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” The divisive language of Donald Trump must stop.
Biden’s comment was immediately emphasized by Republicans. At his event in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Trump summoned Senator Marco Rubio of Florida to explain the situation.
“Just now, Joe Biden said that our patriots and supporters are trash,” Rubio remarked. “He’s speaking of regular Americans who cherish their nation.”
“There’s no way to spin it: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris don’t just hate President Trump, they despise the tens of millions of Americans who support him,” said Karoline Leavitt, a spokesman for the Trump campaign.
“Joe Biden, the boss of Kamala, just called all of my supporters garbage!” said a fundraising text for the Trump campaign. prior to guaranteeing that Trump himself says, “YOU ARE AMAZING!”
Prominent Democrats even started to distance themselves from Biden’s remarks. “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,” Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro declared on CNN.
The remarks brought to mind Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate at the time, disparaging Trump supporters at a 2016 New York event by claiming that half of them would belong in a “basket of deplorables.”
Later, Clinton referred to such description as “grossly generalistic.” But for many Trump supporters, who believed the remark summed up Clinton’s and the Democrats’ aristocratic views, it became a rebellious rallying cry.
In the meantime, as responses to Biden’s response started to circulate, Trump was questioned about the offensive and racist joke at his rally in New York on Tuesday night by Sean Hannity of Fox News Channel. “Someone told me there was a comedian who made jokes about Puerto Rico or something,” he replied. Furthermore, I don’t know who he is.
The former president went on to say, “I don’t think it’s a huge deal.”
Trump reiterated his assertion that Biden’s immigration policies have permitted other nations to treat the United States like “a giant garbage can” during a rally on Tuesday in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a city with a sizable Hispanic population.
With just one week until Election Day, Biden has made a concerted effort to stay relevant by vehemently touting the achievements of his administration while Harris is running against Trump.
However, the top of the Democratic ticket he is currently supporting may not always benefit from his attempts to stay in the public eye. This is because, despite Harris’s months-long harsh criticism of Trump, which has included frequent calls for him to be “unstable,” “unhinged,” and even “fascist,” she has been cautious not to disparage his fans.
In an attempt to win over conservative crossover voters, the vice president has actually spent a lot of time campaigning alongside former Republican Representative Liz Cheney and other former GOP elected officials. Stories of regular Americans who previously voted for Trump but now declare their support for the vice president have been emphasized by the Democratic convention and Harris advertisements.
Biden also said during Tuesday’s call that Trump “doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community” and called for the former president to be rejected, despite Trump’s campaign claiming that support from Hispanics, especially men, is growing.
Biden declared, “Vote to prevent Donald Trump from winning the presidency.” He poses a serious risk to everyone, not just Latinos. especially those who belong to our nation’s minority.
