WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre worked to cleanup remarks made by President Joe Biden in which he appeared to refer to supporters of former President Donald Trump as “garbage.”
During Wednesday’s press briefing, Jean-Pierre said the president was referring to the “hateful rhetoric” at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally as “garbage,” not supporters of Trump.
“Just to clarify, he was not calling Trump supporters garbage,” Jean-Pierre said. “He does not view Trump supporters or anybody who supports Trump as garbage. That is not what he views.”
The remarks from the president came during a video call with Voto Latino on Tuesday. Biden was responding to a controversial joke made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in which the comedian called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”
“Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage.’ Well, let me tell you something, I don’t, I don’t know the Puerto Rican that—that I know—or the Puerto Rico, where I’m from, in my home state of Delaware, they’re good, decent, honorable people,” Biden said.
According to a transcript provided by the White House, he then went on to say, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s—his —his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.”
The transcript provided by the White House had an apostrophe in “supporter’s” in an attempt to clarify Biden was referring to Hinchcliffe’s quote and not Republican supporters.
President Biden posted to social media on Tuesday to try and clear up his comment.
“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. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation,” Biden posted on X.
Jean-Pierre emphasized that President Biden is a “president for all,” adding that he wanted to clarify his statement.
“He was making a particular point, a specific point, about a comedian and a hateful rhetoric that was heard by all, by all of us,” she said.
Vice President Kamala Harris responded to Biden’s comments on Wednesday saying, “First of all, he clarified his comments. But let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”
Republicans have since jumped on Biden’s remarks. During a Trump Rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Tuesday night, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said, “Just moments ago Joe Biden stated that our supporters are garbage.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
