Biden said to label Trump supporters ‘garbage,' but president denies it

By Zehra Nur Celik

ANKARA (AA) – Criticizing racist remarks made at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s massive New York rally, US President Joe Biden seemed to label Trump’s supporters “garbage,” a charge the White House immediately denied.

Condemning a racist joke at Trump’s Sunday night rally at Madison Square Garden: Biden told a group of Latino supporters in a Tuesday video call: “Donald Trump has no character. He doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community.”

“Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage,” he added, stressing that Puerto Ricans are "good, decent, honorable people."

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters – his, his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American,” Biden said.

Hitting back at claims Biden called the supporters themselves “garbage,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said: “The president referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage’.”

In a transcript of Biden's remarks released by the White House, his team claimed an apostrophe was meant to be in the word "supporters," suggesting he meant their “demonization” of Latinos.

Biden himself took to X and said: “Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage – which is the only word I can think of to describe it. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say.”

During his decades-long political career, Biden, 81, has become known for verbal gaffes and missteps.

- Trump slams ‘garbage’ remark

At a Tuesday night rally in the swing state of Pennsylvania, former President Trump slammed Biden's "garbage" comment, calling it even worse than 2016 remarks by Hillary Clinton – who was then competing against Trump’s successful presidential bid – calling half of Trump’s supporters part of a “basket of deplorables.”

“While I am running a campaign of positive solutions to save America, Kamala Harris is running a campaign of hate. She has spent all week comparing her political opponents to the most evil mass murderers in history,” Trump said on X.

“Now, on top of everything, Joe Biden calls our supporters ‘garbage. You can’t lead America if you don’t love the American People,” he added.

“Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have shown they are both unfit to be President of the United States. I am proud to lead the biggest, broadest, and most important political coalition in American history,” he said.

“We are welcoming historic numbers of Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans, and citizens of every race, religion, color, and creed. It is my desire to be the President of all the people,” Trump added.

Trump has made many denigrating remarks about immigrants and Latino immigrants in particular. Announcing his presidential bid in 2016, he said: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best … They’re sending people that have lots of problems ... They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

During his first term, Trump issued an executive order blocking refugees and travelers with passports from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Last month, Trump baselessly accused Somali migrants of stealing and eating pets, and last week said of migration to the US: “We're a dumping ground. We're like a garbage can for the world.”