Incumbent President Joe Biden issued a statement clarifying what he really “meant to say” on Tuesday about comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's hateful rhetoric remarks toward Puerto Rico. His actions were prompted by a clip of Biden doing rounds online, saying, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”
In his tweet on Wednesday, the president said:
"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."
Joe Biden's comments remain unclear, takes the internet by storm
The clip quickly went viral, given several took offense to Joe Biden's phrase. Many pointed out that he dubbed Trump’s supporters garbage. However, some contend that Biden was simply condemning Hinchcliffe's racist remarks. During Hinchcliffe's address at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, the comedian dubbed Puerto Rico "a floating island of garbage."
In the full video, however, during a Zoom call with Voto Latino, Joe Biden said the Puerto Ricans he has come across are “good, decent, honorable people." He said:
“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 I know, the Puerto Rico where I’m fr -- in my home state of Delaware. They’re good, decent honorable people."
He continued, uttering the now-infamous line:
"The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s – his – his demonization of things is unconscionable, and it’s un-American, and it’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done.”
However, in the quote, which has since been taken out of context and dissected thoroughly, it remains unclear if he said the singular “supporter's” or the plural “supporters,” with the latter referring to all of Trump's endorsers. According to the official transcript, which came out on Tuesday night from the White House press office, the comment denotes a singular noun.
Notably, Trump himself responded, swooping in to defend his base from the purported attacks and taking jibes at Joe Biden:
"While I am running a campaign of positive solutions to save America, Kamala Harris is running a campaign of hate. She has spent all week comparing her political opponents to the most evil mass murderers in history. Now, on top of everything, Joe Biden calls our supporters “garbage.” You can’t lead America if you don’t love the American People. Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have shown they are both unfit to be President of the United States."
His tirade went on:
"I am proud to lead the biggest, broadest, and most important political coalition in American history. We are welcoming historic numbers of Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans, and citizens of every race, religion, color, and creed. It is my desire to be the President of all the people."
Another Trump endorser, Elon Musk, also weighed in, echoing the claims that "Biden just called half of America ‘garbage.’"
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