Biden's 'garbage' remarks give Trump and GOP new fodder on the trail

President Biden's use of the word "garbage" has prompted a political controversy in the waning days of the presidential campaign. Ting Shen/AFP hide caption

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Ting Shen/AFP

Shortly before Vice President Harris took the stage to deliver the closing argument for her campaign, promising to turn the page on division in the country, President Biden undermined that sentiment with a remark in a video call with a Latino voting group.

In Biden's remarks, it sounded like he was calling supporters of former President Donald Trump "garbage." Republicans have latched on to those comments, saying Biden had called half the country "garbage," and making the gaffe a rallying cry — much like Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” quip at a 2016 fundraiser.

Biden and the White House quickly moved to clarify his comment. But it gave Republicans an opening to sidestep the controversy unleashed by a disparaging and politically toxic joke about Puerto Rico made by a comedian on Sunday at a Madison Square Garden rally for Trump.

That joke has roiled the presidential campaign in its waning days as Puerto Ricans are a significant presence in places like Pennsylvania, which both the Trump and Harris campaigns see as a must-win state.

What Biden said

At issue is the placement of an apostrophe. In a video call Tuesday with Voto Latino, Biden sounded like he was calling Trump supporters “garbage.”

The White House quickly issued a transcript to put Biden’s comment in a broader context, insisting that Biden had said "supporter's," to refer to the comedian's quote and not "supporters."

"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 -- I -- I don't know the Puerto Rican that -- that I know -- or a Puerto Rico, where I'm fr- -- in my home state of Delaware, they're good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter's -- his -- his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American."

Later, Biden attempted to clean up his remarks on x.com, saying that he was referring to the comedian’s joke at the rally.

What Biden's gaffe means for Harris

Biden, who has a life-long history of gaffes, has kept a low profile since he dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris.

Last week at a rare campaign event, he attracted attention when he said of Trump “we got to lock him up,” before quickly adding “politically.”

Conservatives have long complained that Democrats have used disparaging labels to describe their supporters. They point to then candidate Barack Obama's remarks about "bitter" working-class voters who "cling to guns or religion" and former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton who described Trump's supporters as "deplorables."

Biden's remark landed as Trump was onstage at a rally in Allentown, Pa., where Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, went on stage to demand an apology from Biden.

“We are not garbage: we are patriots who love America,” Rubio said.

The Trump campaign said it was an example of name-calling by the Harris campaign.

"President Trump is backed by Latinos, Black voters, union workers, angel moms, law enforcement officers, border patrol agents, and Americans of all faiths — and Harris, Walz, and Biden have labeled these great Americans as fascists, Nazis, and now, garbage," Karoline Leavitt, Trump's campaign spokesperson said in a statement.