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Did Biden call Trump supporters ‘garbage’? And did he damage Harris’s election chances?

Republicans have jumped on the US president’s latest gaffe. The White House says he was misinterpreted

US election: President Joe Biden has caused a stir by fumbling his words while talking about comments made by a comedian speaking at a Donald Trump rally.
Hugh Linehan's picture
Hugh Linehan
Wed Oct 30 2024 - 13:47

What did Joe Biden say?

In a video interview on Tuesday, the US president answered a question about the joke made at a Trump rally in New York’s Madison Square Garden by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage”. The Caribbean island is a US territory, making it neither a sovereign country nor a US state. But Puerto Rican communities form significant voting blocs in several states, including New York, Florida and perhaps most importantly the key swing state of Pennsylvania. Republicans have been in retreat over what was widely seen as a self-inflicted error in the final week of the presidential election campaign.

What were his exact words?

“Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage’,” Biden said, adding what sounds like, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters – his, his demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.” The White House later issued a statement, arguing that what the president had actually said was “his supporter’s demonisation”, adding an apostrophe to show that he was referring only to Hinchcliffe.

What has the reaction been?

The clip of the comments swiftly went viral across social media. Republicans have seized on the statement, insisting the president was clearly referring to all Trump supporters. Standing beside Donald Trump, Republican senator Marco Rubio told a rally in Pennsylvania about the statement. “Just moments ago, Joe Biden stated that our supporters are garbage – are garbage,” he said, while the crowd booed and Trump shook his head. “He’s talking about the border patrol. He’s talking about nurses. He’s talking about teachers. He’s talking about everyday Americans who love their country and want to dream big again and support you, Mr President.” Other Trump advocates followed suit overnight and into Wednesday morning.

Why does it matter?

With just six days to the election, the political temperature is high and each side is seeking to gain any advantage it can in what is likely to be a race of inches. The moment recalls Hillary Clinton’s disastrous comment at a fundraiser during her 2016 campaign for the presidency, when she described half of Trump’s supporters as belonging in “what I call the basket of deplorables”, adding “the racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic – you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up.” The “deplorables” tag became a badge of honour for Trump supporters, energised the Republican base and cemented a perception of Clinton as part of an out-of-touch elite.

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Will it make a difference?

Impossible to say. Unlike Clinton, Biden is not the presidential candidate. And his blue-collar “Scranton Joe” image offers some protection against the charge of elitism. Plus he has always been known for making verbal flubs and misspeaking, traits that have grown more obvious with age. The fact that the White House offered its clarification so quickly shows Democrats recognise the potential damaging impact of the statement. Clarifications rarely go viral, however. The incident has certainly allowed Republicans to move on from the widespread negative coverage of that Madison Square Garden rally. For that, at least, they will be thanking Biden today.

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