Joe Biden explained his “garbage” comment from Tuesday’s Washington, D.C. rally, which targeted statements made by a Donald Trump supporter during the presidential nominee’s Sunday rally. CNN reported that moments before Kamala Harris‘ stage appearance, the president told the audience, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his [Trump’s] supporters.” He further addressed comments depreciating Latinos from the Republican presidential candidate’s controversial Madison Square rally.
However, Joe Biden faced massive backlash from Republicans who interpreted that he called Trump supporters “garbage” in his speech. Hours later, Biden dropped an official statement on X (formerly Twitter) to clarify the comments made during the Tuesday rally. Here’s what he stated.
Joe Biden explains himself on X after ‘Garbage’ comment sparks controversy
Explaining his “garbage” comment from Tuesday’s rally, President Joe Biden posted an official statement on X (formerly Twitter) after facing backlash. He wrote, “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.” Biden explained that he intended to say the former president’s “demonization of Latinos” was “unconscionable.” Finally, he noted, “The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”
Previously that day, Joe Biden strongly criticized the comments made by a Donald Trump supporter at the former president’s Sunday rally. While concluding his speech, Biden pointed out a speaker’s comments who referred to Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage.”
Speaking of Puerto Rican citizens, Biden continued, “in my home state of Delaware – they’re good, decent, honorable people.” Lastly, he added, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” arguing that his “demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and it’s un-American.”
Later, a White House spokesperson, Andrew Bates, responded to CNN, clarifying that Biden meant “supporter’s” and not “supporters.” Bates maintained that Biden had said, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s – his – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”
