In the final days of the presidential campaign, a controversy arose following President Biden’s use of the term “garbage” during a video call with a Latino voting group. Prior to Vice President Harris’s speech, where she called for unity, Biden’s comment seemed to target supporters of former President Donald Trump, which Republicans highlighted as derogatory, reminiscent of Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” remark in 2016.
The Biden administration quickly sought to clarify these comments. Republicans utilized the situation to divert attention from recent controversy surrounding a comedian’s derogatory joke about Puerto Rico at a Trump rally in Madison Square Garden. This issue has become significant in states like Pennsylvania, where Puerto Rican voters are influential.
The issue centered on the placement of an apostrophe in Biden’s words, where it appeared he referred to Trump supporters collectively as “garbage.” However, Biden’s team clarified he was specifically referring to the comedian’s comments. The White House released a transcript, stating Biden intended to refer to the “supporter’s” remarks, not supporters in general.
In attempting to further clarify, President Biden later posted on social media, explaining his commentary was directed toward the comedian’s rhetoric at the rally.
Biden’s history of verbal missteps dates back to even before he endorsed Harris after exiting the presidential race. At a campaign event the previous week, Biden was noted for saying Trump should be locked up, followed by a quick clarification of “politically.”
Conservatives have a history of pointing out Democrats’ use of disparaging terms against their supporters, citing examples from Barack Obama’s and Hillary Clinton’s campaigns. At a Trump rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Senator Marco Rubio publicly demanded an apology from Biden, stating, “We are not garbage; we are patriots who love America.”
The Trump campaign described Biden’s remark as another instance of name-calling by the Harris campaign. Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt responded, emphasizing the broad support President Trump has from various American constituencies and criticizing the perceived labeling by the Harris, Walz, and Biden campaigns.