In Washington, D.C., it has been reported that White House press officials made amendments to an official transcript of a call where President Joe Biden seemed to target supporters of Donald Trump, leading to concerns from federal employees tasked with documenting these comments for historical records. This information comes from two U.S. government officials alongside an internal email that was shared on Thursday.
The controversy erupted earlier this week after Biden’s statements made during a virtual meeting with Latino activists. He was addressing derogatory comments made about Puerto Rico by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally, where Hinchcliffe referred to the island as a “floating island of garbage.” In the original transcript prepared by official stenographers, Biden stated, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”
Contrarily, the version released by the White House press office modified the quote to suggest that Biden was subtly pointing fingers at Hinchcliffe specifically by using “supporter’s” instead of the correct plural “supporters.” Aides claimed this adjustment meant Biden was not critiquing millions of Trump supporters but rather targeting the comedian’s remarks. The alteration was made after consultations with Biden himself, as detailed in an internal email from the head of the stenography team, which was confirmed by two unnamed government insiders.
The email from the stenography supervisor characterized the actions of the press office as “a breach of protocol and spoilation of transcript integrity between the Stenography and Press Offices.” They added that while the press office can opt to withhold transcripts in cases of interpretation differences, it cannot independently modify the content. The supervisor expressed concerns that the official record released to the National Archives now factually conflicted with the version published by the press office.
The modified transcript was released while the White House was fielding numerous media inquiries about Biden’s comments, which stood in stark contrast to comments made by Vice President Kamala Harris, who stressed respect for Americans with differing political views during her speech outside the White House around the same time. The Trump campaign swiftly responded by using Biden’s words for fundraising, while Trump himself posed with a garbage truck in a publicity stunt aimed at leveraging Biden’s remarks.
On a subsequent occasion, Harris distanced herself from Biden’s statements, the clearest divergence she’s shown since joining him on the Democratic ticket over three months ago. She firmly stated, “Let me be clear… I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.” The email indicated that the press office expedited the creation of a transcript in response to the unfolding situation. Biden later took to social media to clarify he wasn’t labeling all Trump supporters as “garbage” but was specifically referencing “hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico” from Hinchcliffe at a recent rally.
The stenographers are responsible for meticulously preparing accurate transcripts of the president’s remarks for the National Archives, ensuring both public and historical preservation. During the call, the two-member stenography team on duty, included a typist and a proofer, both stated that any changes required approval from a supervisor in the stenographers’ office. Although the supervisor was not available to review the audio recording before the press office published its altered version, the press team proceeded to disseminate this edited transcript through the White House website and across various media channels.
White House press secretary Andrew Bates also shared the modified transcript on social media, clarifying that Biden was commenting on “the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally.” The supervisor later expressed concerns regarding the implications of the press office’s actions in an email to White House communications heads without commenting on the accuracy of the edits made.
Bates did not directly address the concerns regarding the altered transcript but emphasized that Biden had confirmed through a tweet that his comments were directed at the derogatory rhetoric from the comedian during the rally.
Meanwhile, House Republicans are considering an investigation into the situation. House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik and House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer criticized the White House for allegedly releasing a misleading transcript. They sent a letter to White House counsel, urging the administration to preserve all related documents and communications regarding Biden’s remarks and the transcript issue.
In their letter, the lawmakers asserted that “White House staff cannot rewrite the words of the President of the United States to be more politically on message” and hinted that the actions could violate the Presidential Records Act enacted in 1978.