Blundering Joe Biden Backtracks By Saying He Meant to Slam Pro-Trump Comic's Racism and Not Ex-President's Supporters as 'Garbage'
Joe Biden has desperately tried to backtrack on comments in which he appeared to call Trump supporters 'garbage'.
Oct. 30 2024, Published 2:23 p.m. ET
President Joe Biden has attempted to clarify comments in which he appeared to call Donald Trump's supporters "garbage".
RadarOnline.com can reveal the 81-year-old was forced into a desperate backtrack after triggering a fresh row.
Biden claims he was venting at pro-Trump comic Tony Hinchcliffe, not Trump supporters.
He claims to have been referring to pro-Trump comic Tony Hinchcliffe who sparked controversy by calling Puerto Rico, a US territory, an "island of garbage" during the former president's Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday.
"The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters," Biden was initially quoted as saying on Tuesday, prompting an angry Republican backlash.
Biden will hoping his latest gaffe does not go in Donald Trump's favor.
The White House later released a transcript which included an apostrophe, and said the president was talking about the words of Hinchcliffe, and not all Trump supporters.
"The only garbage I see floating out there is (Trump's) supporter's… his demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American," the transcript reads.
Tony HInchcliffe rehearsed the 'garbage' gag at New York comedy club the night before Trump rally.
Biden himself later addressed his video call with non-profit organisation Voto Latino, writing on X: "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 demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable. That's all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don't reflect who we are as a nation."
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Trump admitted 'somebody said some bad things' but stopped short of offering up apology.
But Trump loyalists have seized on the comments, making comparisons with a controversial remark by Hillary Clinton in 2016 during the business mogul's first run for office, when she said half of his supporters were from a "basket of deplorables", which many believe sparked the downfall of her campaign.
As the war of words escalated, Trump himself suggested Kamala Harris - his rival for the White House - was running a "campaign of hate".
During his campaign, Trump has repeatedly referred to his opponents as "the enemy from within" - rhetoric Harris described as divisive.
Referring to the Biden comments, Trump said: "You can't lead America if you don't love the American people."
Asked about the comments on Wednesday, Harris said Biden had "clarified his comments," adding: "Let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for."
The Madison Square Garden rally has now been defended by Trump as a "love fest".
He acknowledged "somebody said some bad things" but said he did not think it was "a big deal".
Trump stopped short of issuing an apology demanded by prominent figures from Puerto Rico itself.
A number of Republicans - including from neighbourhoods with strong Latino populations - were outraged.
Hinchcliffe himself has defended his material, saying his critics "have no sense of humor".
The controversial comedian, 40, reportedly practiced the joke at the New York comedy club The Stand the previous night and it did not go down well.
He allegedly claimed multiple times during his Saturday night set his jokes would earn a better reaction "tomorrow at the rally".
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