White House seeks to mitigate damage after Biden calls Trump supporters 'garbage'

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The White House continued to walk back Wednesday US President Joe Biden's description of Donald Trump's supporters as "garbage."

During a Harris campaign call Tuesday, Biden referenced a racist joke made at a Trump rally on Sunday in which a comedian described Puerto Rico, a US territory whose residents are US citizens, as a "floating island of garbage."

"The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American. It's totally contrary to everything we've done, everything we've been," Biden said, referring to Trump.

He then took to X later Tuesday evening, seeking to control the fallout.

"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," he said.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated the explanation Wednesday, saying Biden is "a president for all, but hateful rhetoric, hateful rhetoric that he hears, and this is something that we've done many times from here, we will call that out."​​​​​​​

Amid the ongoing backlash, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris vowed to "be a president for all Americans."

Harris told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in the US state of Maryland that she "strongly" disagrees "with any criticism of people based on who they vote for," saying Biden has already clarified his remarks. She vowed that, if elected, she would represent all Americans.

"I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not. And as president of the United States, I will be a president for all Americans, whether you vote for me or not," she said before departing for a campaign rally in the state of Pennsylvania.

"That’s my responsibility, and that’s the kind of work that I’ve done my entire career, and I take it very seriously," she added.

Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has been seeking to move on from the comedian's comments and seized upon Biden's remarks during a campaign rally Wednesday in an attempt to turn the tables.

"Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters. He called them 'garbage.' And they mean it," he said. "My response to Joe and Kamala is very simple; you can't lead America if you don't love Americans."