WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden recently attempted to temper his remarks during a speech where he was criticizing former President Donald Trump. “Don’t get going, Joe. Slow up,” he cautioned himself on Tuesday afternoon. However, as evening fell, Biden disregarded his own advice, leading to a new challenge for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who is gearing up for Election Day in less than a week.
This is not the first instance where Biden’s off-the-cuff comments have caused complications. His recent unscripted remarks came at a particularly inconvenient time, as Harris was preparing to deliver a significant “closing argument” for her campaign that focused on the importance of national unity following Trump’s divisive presidency.
Just before Harris was set to address a large rally near the White House on Tuesday night, Biden joined a Zoom call organized by a Hispanic advocacy group. During the call, he referenced a comedian’s derogatory comments about Trump, who had referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” Biden responded by saying, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”
Following backlash, the president quickly took to social media to clarify his statement, asserting that he meant to criticize Trump’s treatment of Latino communities, stating, “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say.” However, his comments were promptly picked up by Republican opponents who claimed he was insulting Trump supporters.
Since stepping back from the presidential race in July after a challenging debate and internal party struggles, Biden has been largely absent from the campaign trail. Nevertheless, he is eager to remain relevant and solidify his legacy, ramping up campaign activities recently, even as many party members seem to distance themselves from him.
In contrast, Harris has been actively working to set herself apart from an unpopular Biden and is reaching out to Republican voters as well. Following Biden’s remarks, she made it clear that she strongly disagrees “with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”
Harris’s team expressed frustration with Biden’s earlier gaffe when he declared during a campaign event in New Hampshire, “We got to lock him up,” referring to Trump. He quickly corrected himself, adding, “Politically lock him up. Lock him out. That’s what we have to do.” Harris’s supporters often chant “lock him up” at her rallies, evoking similar sentiments from Trump’s 2016 campaign against Hillary Clinton as well, but Harris always redirects the conversation, telling the crowd, “The courts will take care of that. We’ll take care of November.”
Biden has also frequently overlapped with Harris’s campaign events, making a surprising comment just as she was about to take the stage in Michigan and speaking about Hurricane Helene when Harris was returning from campaign events in Las Vegas for an important FEMA briefing.
He has even mixed up details regarding the presidential race. Last weekend, he referred to the two of them by saying, “We got a lot more work to do, Kamala and I — Kamala — Kamala does.” During an infrastructure event at a port in Baltimore on Tuesday, Biden transitioned into criticism of Trump and alluded to the previous Puerto Rico remarks, highlighting new funding aimed at improving ports in various states, including Puerto Rico. He then added provocatively, “I’d like to take that guy for a swim out there.”