White House transcript attempts to alter Biden’s ‘garbage’ dig at Trump supporters in desperate bid to spin massive campaign blunder
The White House and its media allies ran a coverup for President Biden after he maligned former President Donald Trump’s supporters as “garbage” — going so far as to edit an official transcript of his remarks, to the outrage of conservatives and other critics who called out “flat out lying” by Democrats and their allies.
Democrats went into damage-control mode Tuesday night due to the president’s trash talk, claiming that Biden hadn’t intended to demonize his party’s political opponents just seven days before voters head to the polls.
“The President referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage,’” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement.
The White House in a transcript of the speech also added an apostrophe to the 81-year-old’s poorly timed criticism less than five days before the 2024 election.
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American,” the transcript read.
In a follow-up X post, Biden added: “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 president claimed. “The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”
Biden was referencing Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke at a Trump rally in Madison Square Garden on Sunday, when he referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
“Donald Trump has no character. He doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community,” the president said on a call with Voto Latino on Tuesday that referenced Hinchcliffe’s humor.
“They’re good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” Biden said, pausing slightly and leaning back before adding: “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”
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.
President Biden’s 'garbage supporters' comment isn't the first time he’s attacked Donald Trump voters:
- “It’s not just Trump, it’s the entire philosophy that underpins the — I’m going to say something, it’s like semi-fascism.” — Joe Biden at DNC fundraiser in Bethesda, Md., on Aug. 25, 2022.
- “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.” — Biden at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Sept. 1, 2022.
- “We are talking about mega MAGA Republican officials who have been very clear about this, who say, you know, they are pro-police, but then they are also pro-insurrectionists.” — Karine Jean-Pierre at press briefing on Nov. 2, 2022.
- “There is no question that today’s Republican Party is driven and intimidated by MAGA extremists. Their extreme agenda, if carried out, would fundamentally alter the institutions of American Democracy as we know it.” — Biden in Tempe, Ariz., on Sept. 28, 2023.
- “Those MAGA voices who know the truth about Trump and January 6th have abandoned the truth and abandoned our democracy.” — Biden in Blue Bell, Pa., on Jan. 5, 2024.
“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.”
Politico scribe Jonathan Martin went even further to argue Biden did not alienate “half the country.”
“Sure, Trump topped out at 47% and a good third of that vote is folks who aren’t enamored w[ith] him but loathe Dems more,” Martin posted on X. “So it’s not remotely half the country.”
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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.”
When reached for comment, the White House also refused to tell Axios national political correspondent Alex Thompson whether they had confirmed with Biden that he misspoke.
“Did they talk to Biden to ask him what he meant?” Thompson said he asked the president’s aides before relating: “The spokesperson asked to go off the record. We declined. They didn’t comment further.”
“‘The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.’ That’s a direct quote,” emphasized Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), Trump’s running mate.
“That’s what Kamala Harris’s boss said,” Vance said, posting a screenshot on X of how the remarks had been spun.
“Do @JonLemire, @alexanderburns, @politico have an ounce of integrity? Will they correct this obvious falsehood?”
Not all Democrats were displeased with what allies had cast as another Biden blunder, with billionaire venture capitalist Vinod Khosla saying his words were an “understatement.”
“Garbage is an understatement for MAGA extremists,” said Khosla, a major Harris donor. “Biden suggests Trump supporters are ‘garbage’ after comic’s insult of Puerto Rico.”
But Harris, 60, distanced from her former running-mate when asked by reporters on the tarmac before boarding Air Force Two for a campaign event in Raleigh, NC.
“I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” the vice president said.
Harris is trailing Trump, 78, in the seven battleground states of Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia by one percentage point, according to the RealClearPolitics polling aggregator.
Both Democratic and Republican pollsters are saying the election will be a jump ball heading toward Election Day, though early indications are the GOP is outperforming past showings in early and mail-in voting.