President Joe Biden’s attempt to denounce a speaker’s racist comments at a Trump campaign rally seemed to backfire as Trump and other Republicans argued that Biden had insulted Trump’s supporters by calling them “garbage.”

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s – his – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and it’s un-American,” Biden said during a Tuesday fundraising call, according to a transcript posted by a White House representative on X.

Many news outlets highlighted the same quote, though some omitted the apostrophe, fueling criticism that Biden had aimed his “garbage” comment at Trump supporters as a whole.

However, Biden’s statement was specifically directed at certain Trump supporters rather than their rhetoric in general.

“Now, on top of everything, Joe Biden calls our supporters ‘garbage.’ You can’t lead America if you don’t love the American people,” Trump responded on X.

Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, added: “This is disgusting. Kamala Harris and her boss Joe Biden are attacking half of the country.”

Earlier, Vance defended comments by Hinchcliffe, stating, “We have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America.”

Biden attempted to provide further explanation on X.

“Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporters at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage — which is the only word I can think of to describe it,” Biden posted.

“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.”

Despite Biden’s clarification, Republicans drew parallels to a comment by Hillary Clinton in 2016 when she referred to Trump supporters as “deplorables,” a remark that was widely criticized and became a focal point in her unexpected loss to Trump.

With just days left before the high-stakes election between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Trump, Biden and the White House quickly moved to contain any potential political damage from the misinterpreted comment.

The controversy began when comedian Tony Hinchcliffe described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” during Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

With the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showing Trump trailing Harris by only a slim margin, 43% to 44%, Biden’s remark was yet another talking point as the November 5 election approached.

{Matzav.com}