Biden Calls Trump Supporters 'Garbage'
By Jason Hall
October 30, 2024
President Joe Biden called former President Donald Trump's supporters "garbage" while responding to controversial comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe during Trump's Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday (October 27).
Biden, 81, appeared on a campaign call at the White House on Tuesday (October 29) and responded to Hinchcliffe's joke calling Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage."
“Donald Trump has no character. He doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community,” Biden said. “Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage.”
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”
Trump denounced Biden's comment during his own rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Tuesday night, comparing it to Hillary Clinton's 2016 statement in which she called his supporters "deplorable" during her campaign.
I’ve seen some people disputing the Biden quote, but there is video of it: https://t.co/fQ9eCpAS5K pic.twitter.com/pRv5GHUxgk
— AG (@AGHamilton29) October 30, 2024
“Wow. That’s terrible,” Trump said via the New York Post. “So, you have to remember Hillary [Clinton] — she said ‘deplorable’ and then she said ‘irredeemable’ … ‘garbage’ I think is worse,” Trump added.
On Sunday, sources with knowledge of the situation told Axios that Vice President Kamala Harris had reportedly snubbed Biden's request to campaign for her.
“He’s a reminder of the last four years, not the new way forward,” a source said.
The president has appeared on the campaign trail several times since announcing his decision to end his own re-election campaign in July, which included speaking at the Philadelphia Democratic City Committee Autumn Dinner last week in New Hampshire and again in Pittsburgh, which reportedly surprised members of Harris' team.
Biden immediately endorsed Harris after announcing his decision to end his 2024 campaign, with the vice president quickly locking down the Democratic nomination.
“There is always speculation in political circles, but this is not accurate,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement in response to the report via the New York Post. “We are in close touch with the campaign to determine when, where and how the president can be helpful.”
Some of Harris' allies were also reportedly riled by Biden's off-the-cuff remarks claiming "we gotta lock [former President Donald Trump] up."
“Politically, lock him up — lock him out, that’s what we’ve got to do,” Biden quickly clarified, though the remark was already made into fodder by Republican pundits.
Harris recently made multiple campaign appearances alongside President Barack Obama, which included stops in Michigan on October 22 and Georgia on October 24.
Use this site to find your local polling place.