President Joe Biden ignited Republican fury Tuesday night when he weighed in on racist jokes at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday.
At that event, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage.” He also made crude, offensive and racist comments about Latinos and Black people.
On Tuesday, during a video call for Latino voter outreach, Biden defended the Puerto Rican community and appeared to criticize either Trump supporters or Hinchcliffe.
“They’re good, decent, honorable people,” Biden said, referring to the Puerto Rican community. “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.”
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The White House quickly turned to damage control mode, with spokesman Andrew Bates saying in a statement that Biden “referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as garbage.”
The White House also sent around a transcript in an attempt to show that Biden was not saying that Trump supporters were “garbage,” but that he tripped over his lines and meant to say that he was condemning the comedian’s remarks specifically.
“And just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage,’” read the White House transcript. “Well, let me tell you something. I don’t — I — I don’t know the Puerto Rican that — that I know — or a Puerto Rico, where I’m fr- — in my home state of Delaware, they’re good, decent, honorable people. 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.”
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Shortly after, Biden also tweeted a clarification.
“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,” 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. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That's all I meant to say. The…
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 30, 2024
Still, the controversy diverted attention away from what was supposed to be a big night for Vice President Kamala Harris, who was about to deliver her major “closing argument” speech at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. — the same spot that Trump delivered his speech before his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“It is time to turn the page on the drama and the conflict, the fear and the division, it is time for a new generation of leadership in America,” Harris said in her speech Tuesday night. “And I am ready to offer that leadership.”
Instead, attention turned to the president, with Republicans using his remarks to undercut the message of unity that Harris was speaking to in her address.
Trump co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita responded to Biden’s remark in a post on X, writing that Harris “hates you and they hate the American spirit vote accordingly.”
“This is disgusting,” tweeted Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. “Kamala Harris and her boss Joe Biden are attacking half of the country. There’s no excuse for this. I hope Americans reject it.”
And at his rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night, Trump also responded to Biden’s remarks after Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., read them to him.
“That’s terrible. That’s what it says,” Trump said.
Trump then brought up Hillary Clinton’s comments during the 2016 presidential campaign, when she said “half” of Trump’s supporters fit into a “basket of deplorables“ — comments that were widely seen to have hurt her in that election.
“Garbage, I think is worse, right?” Trump added. “But he doesn’t know. You have to please forgive him. Please forgive him, for he not knoweth what he said.”
On CNN Tuesday night, Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was presented with Biden's comments. He said it was the first time he was hearing them.
"I would never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any Americans, even if they chose to support a candidate I didn’t support," he said in reaction.
"It's certainly not words that I would choose," he added. "I think it's important that we remain focused on the contrast between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump and not attacking supporters of either candidate."
During an interview with Bret Baier this month, the Fox News host asked Harris if she thought Trump supporters were “stupid.”
“Oh, God. I would never say that about the American people,” she replied. “And in fact, if you listen to Donald Trump, if you watch any of his rallies, he’s the one who tends to demean and belittle and diminish the American people. He’s the one who talks about an enemy within, an enemy within, talking about the American people, suggesting he would turn the American military on the American people.”
The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night on Biden's remarks.
“The final days of this race are becoming a sprint to the bottom of the rhetorical barrel,” Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis said. “Want to know why this race is close? It’s like both campaigns let alone their surrogates are trying to find new and innovative ways to lose. Cue headslap.”
This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:
