Cleaning Up After Joe: Biden White House, Media Try and Fail to Spin Joe's 'Garbage' Comment

Biden calls Trump supporters “garbage” one week from Election Day — there’s your October surprise…

During a Zoom call on Tuesday with one of the largest Latino voter and civic outreach organizations in the United States, President Biden referred to Trump supporters as “garbage.”

Biden was reacting to roast comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” during a joke that fell flat at Trump’s MSG rally over the weekend.

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” Biden said on Tuesday’s Zoom call. “[Trump’s] demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it is un-American.”

Biden tried to clean up the comment in a tweet later in the evening.

“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 said.

Harris campaign senior adviser Stephanie Cutter tried to spin as well, telling MSNBC, “The president did clarify what he was talking about, but the vice president has been clear that her campaign, her presidency is about all Americans. And, you know, when she’s president, she’s not going to care who you voted for. She’s going to fight for you regardless, and I also want to say, spare me the faux outrage from Donald Trump, JD Vance and his campaign. Even as they’re trying to argue that President Biden is disparaging Trump voters, the president is calling the entire country a trash can. You know, even at the Madison Square Garden [event], his supporters not only disparaged Puerto Rican Americans, but disparaged all Latinos. So, spare me the faux outrage.”

The gaffe dominated the nightly (and morning) news programs.

From The New York Post:

Some talking heads accepted explanation without question, including film executive Franklin Leonard during an appearance on CNN’s “News Night” Tuesday.

“As someone who had a stutter growing up, it’s very obvious to me that there’s an apostrophe at the end of ‘supporter’s’ there,” he said.

“He was referring to the garbage spewed by supporters, not simply the supporters themselves,” added Leonard, who has donated to both of Harris’ presidential campaigns, campaign finance filings show.

MSNBC host and Politico White House bureau chief Jonathan Lemire also accused Republicans of having “seized” on Biden’s comments to claim the president was criticizing “half the country” that backs Trump.

“It’s certainly a story on the Right, who are trying to paint this as the next ‘basket of deplorables,’” Lemire said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” referring to Hillary Clinton’s smear of Trump supporters during the 2016 presidential election.

“They’re trying to make a firestorm out of something,” added host Joe Scarborough. “Joe Biden obviously doesn’t believe that.”

“You can clearly hear Biden say ‘the only garbage I see out there is his supporters.. and .. and.. his demonization..,’” responded GOP strategist Matt Whitlock, accusing Lemire of “flat out lying here and spreading a dishonest transcript.”

“They edited it to say ‘his supporters’ demonization,’” Whitlock said. “Shameful gaslighting.”

…

The New York Times declared in another headline: “Biden Appears to Insult Trump Supporters as ‘Garbage,’ but Quickly Tries to Clarify.”

“That’s disinformation,” independent Substack journalist Michael Shellenberger fired back to the Gray Lady’s editors. “What Biden said is clear from the video. And now the White House has altered the official transcript in a potential violation of the Presidential Records Act.”