President Joe Biden recently sparked controversy by appearing to refer to supporters of former President Donald Trump as “garbage.” The comments came during a video call with Voto Latino, where he criticized remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a rally for Trump, where he insulted Puerto Rico.
Biden’s remarks quickly ignited backlash from conservative circles, drawing comparisons to Hillary Clinton’s infamous “basket of deplorables” comment back in 2016. To clarify, the White House released a statement emphasizing that he was specifically addressing the “hateful rhetoric” from Trump’s rally, not all Trump supporters.
Donald Trump Jr. condemned Biden’s statement on X (formerly Twitter), deeming it absolutely disgusting, while Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung accused Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of harboring hatred for Americans.
In response to the uproar, Biden reassured that he was critiquing the comments about Puerto Rico and reiterated his belief that such demonization of ethnic groups is unacceptable. “The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation,” he said.
While Biden has faced scrutiny for his tone, Vice President Harris took a different approach at a rally in Washington, D.C., where she appealed to all Americans, including Republicans, in an effort to unify rather than divide.
Update 10/29/24, 10:16 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include additional background.
