Trump Team Gives Statement After Biden Video

President Joe Biden’s comment labeling Trump supporters as “garbage” has stirred a firestorm, with reactions from across the political spectrum, overshadowing a pivotal rally by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden’s remark came during an interview referencing a joke made by insult comic Tony Hinchcliffe at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally, where Biden condemned the comedian’s words and concluded, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”

The fallout was immediate. During a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Sen. Marco Rubio informed Trump and his supporters of Biden’s statement. “Just moments ago, Joe Biden stated that our supporters are garbage,” Rubio announced, addressing the crowd of Trump backers that included teachers, nurses, and Border Patrol agents.

“We are not garbage, we are patriots who love America,” Rubio emphasized, echoing the sentiment of many who felt Biden’s words were a direct insult to everyday Americans.

Trump took the stage following Rubio’s statement, calling Biden’s comment “terrible” and comparing it to Hillary Clinton’s infamous “deplorables” remark from the 2016 campaign. “Remember Hillary? She said deplorable. And then she said irredeemable, right?” Trump mused, before adding with a touch of sarcasm, “Please forgive him, for he not knoweth what he said,” casting Biden as disconnected and out of touch with the values of working-class Americans.

The White House quickly attempted to soften the blow, releasing a clarification on X (formerly Twitter), where Biden stated, “Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter… as garbage.”

White House spokespersons claimed Biden’s words had been misinterpreted, and Biden clarified that his criticism was directed only at the rally’s language, not all Trump supporters.

Democrats scrambled to distance themselves from Biden’s words. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, asked about the comment on CNN, responded, “I would never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any Americans,” signaling discomfort within the party over Biden’s phrasing.

Political observers, too, saw the fallout as a political misstep, with CNN’s Chris Cillizza tweeting that Biden’s comment was an “absolute nightmare for Harris’ campaign,” especially as it completely overshadowed Harris’s Washington D.C. “closing argument” rally. Harris’s own rhetoric, painting Trump as a “petty tyrant” and “wannabe dictator,” was all but drowned out by the backlash to Biden’s words.

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